Walls
by jackphd
Summary: There's something about Cheryl Blossom that's preventing her from leaving Toni Topaz's mind. (AU in which Southside High closes down before the school year starts and the Serpents are at Riverdale High when Jason's body is found.) First fic I've ever written, so any and all feedback is much appreciated. Thanks for reading.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Her**

The trees that framed Riverdale High seemed to beckon with their gnarled branches, welcoming the flood of returning students with limbs filled with the reds, yellows, and oranges of autumn. _It even_ looks _more welcoming_ , Toni Topaz thought to herself as she warily ascended the front steps, taking in how different this new school was than the glorified detention center that was Southside High. Toni was a bit apprehensive about her transfer to Riverdale; she wasn't a huge fan of many of the Northsiders she'd met in the past, and she knew the feeling was most likely mutual. Still, she was excited to attend a school not guarded by gun-toting policemen and metal detectors, and who knows—maybe the other kids wouldn't be so bad either.

Toni walked into her homeroom class after checking that the room number was correct, scanning the rows of desks for an open seat. Tucking her pink hair behind an ear, Toni made her way to the back corner of the room where an unoccupied desk sat next to a redheaded girl who was focused intently on her phone.

"Hi, is this seat taken?"

The redhead looked up, her large brown eyes immediately boring directly into Toni's before raking themselves up and down her body. Toni shifted uncomfortably, nervously fingering the waistline of her leather Southside Serpents jacket.

"No, but I'd appreciate it if you sat somewhere else. I try to avoid contact with Southside scum like you as much as possible," the redhead said with a sickening sweetness, not even looking at Toni before she went back to furiously typing on her phone.

The nervousness was quickly replaced with anger. Toni threw her backpack down and made a show of exaggeratedly sitting in the seat. "Actually, I have the same philosophy about frigid Northside bitches. Guess we cancel each other out, huh?"

The other girl looked up again, but this time her gaze dripped with venom and didn't budge from Toni's eyes. Toni almost faltered; she'd never seen this much _hate_ in just an expression before. _Who hurt this girl?_ Not breaking eye contact, Toni started to dig her supplies out of her bag. "Got something to say to me, Red?"

By now Toni could sense some of the other students turning to look in their direction. She got the feeling that someone standing up to this girl was a rare occurrence.

"Nothing with words you'd be able to understand," she replied, again directing her attention back to her phone.

 _What is this bitch's problem?_ Toni clenched her fists and started to stand up from her chair, but then felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see another girl with light blonde hair pulled into a tight ponytail. "Trust me, it's not worth it," the girl whispered.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Toni said, sticking out her hand. "I'm Toni."

"I'm Betty." The girls shooks hands. "I love your hair! How'd you get the pink to be so deep? Color never seems to stick on mine."

 _Well, this is already an improvement._ "Thank you! I'm not really sure; my friend Fangs did it. The kid insists he's straight but he sure does know a lot about cosmetics," Toni said with a knowing smile. She was almost certain that Fangs was gay, but knew he would never admit it.

"Well tell him to book me an appointment! What kind of name is Fangs anyway? It's cool but I can't say I've heard it before."

"He gave it to himself. I'd tell you his real name, but then I'd have to kill you—if he doesn't get to me first." They both laughed.

Betty started to say something else, but was interrupted by the loud ring of the bell. The jarring sound was punctuated by the arrival of who Toni assumed was their teacher, who walked briskly across the front of the room to his desk, set his briefcase down, and immediately began talking.

"Hello class, my name is Mr. Hadley. I look forward to meeting all of you this year. Just to make sure everyone is the right place, this is AP Language and Composition, and also your homeroom class."

A few embarrassed-looking students slowly got up from their seats and walked out of the room.

"Never fails," Mr. Hadley said with a wry smile. "Now, for our first order of business: as most of you probably know, Southside High closed down this summer, and a lot of those students are now enrolled here at Riverdale. I have one thing to say to all of you, Southside and Northside alike. You may have your differences, but we expect everyone to get along. Conflict will not be tolerated."

Toni felt a rush of appreciation for this new teacher. If only some of her peers shared his philosophy. She thought about shooting a pointed look at her neighbor, but decided it wasn't a great idea.

"Alright, now that we have that out of the way, we're going to jump right into the heart of this course: rhetoric."

* * *

"So what was that girl's deal in Lang today?" Toni asked Betty as they walked outside to the stone picnic tables that dotted the lawn.

"No one really knows what makes Cheryl Blossom tick." Betty gestured to a table where a boy wearing an odd crown-shaped beanie sat typing on his laptop.

 _Blossom_. Toni knew that name from somewhere. "As in Blossom Maple Syrup?"

"The very same," the boy sitting at the table said, closing his computer. "No one embodies the stereotype of a rich, entitled, completely narcissistic daughter of a business magnate like Cheryl Blossom. I wouldn't recommend getting in her way."

"This is Jughead, my boyfriend." Betty sat down, motioning for Toni to do the same. "He hates the Blossoms more than anyone."

"I'm Toni." She reached out to shake Jughead's hand, who gave her a warm smile. _Two for three_. _The rest of these Northsiders might not be so bad._

"Yeah, I'm not the biggest fan of those ginger ghouls. They tried to get my dad evicted from his trailer because he looked at Clifford Blossom the 'wrong way' on the street."

"Jeez, that's awful," Toni said sympathetically. "Is he okay?"

"He's a fighter. It would take a lot of manpower to ever convince him to leave Sunnyside Trailer Park."

"Wait, Sunnyside? That's where I live! I might know your dad, what's his name?"

"F.P. Jones. He's the leader of a gang called the Southside Serpents."

Toni knew this boy looked familiar. "I'm well acquainted with F.P." She shrugged out of her jacket and proudly displayed her Serpents tattoo.

"Ah. Should've guessed from the leather jacket," Jughead said. "I only wish he could be as good of a dad as he is a gang leader."

Toni wasn't really sure how to respond to that, so she changed the subject. "Hey, my friends Sweet Pea and Fangs just texted me to ask where I'm sitting. Is it okay if they join us?"

"Of course!" Betty replied brightly. "Just tell them they have to explain to me where the hell they get the idea for these names."

Toni laughed as she started to reply to Sweet Pea's text, but felt her mind start to wander amidst the lull in conversation. She couldn't help but come back to the image of a certain redhead, who Toni couldn't seem to get out of her head. Not only was Cheryl disarmingly beautiful, but Toni was fascinated by her vicious personality. _There's no way anyone is that evil for no reason,_ Toni thought, and made a promise to herself that she would figure out what lay beyond Cheryl's HBIC facade...until her tall, leather-clad friends walked up to the table and she was pulled from her thoughts.

* * *

Later that day, Toni sat at the kitchen table in her uncle's trailer as she completed her first assignment for Mr. Hadley's AP Lang class. A half-eaten box of reheated fried rice and Toni's Serpent jacket sat next to the paper on the cluttered table, and everything was slightly illuminated by the flickering of the TV in the living room.

"Hey, Toni! Come and look at this!" her uncle called out from where he sat in front of the TV. Toni set her pencil down and padded to the other room, where she immediately saw the giant headline plastered across the screen: _HEIR TO BLOSSOM EMPIRE MURDERED._ It was accompanied by a large picture of a good-looking boy with fiery red hair, who pretty much looked like a male version of Cheryl, who Toni quickly deduced was his sister. Her eyes widened as she listened to the newscaster describe how Jason (the boy's name) had been shot and his body dumped in Sweetwater River.

"Holy shit. His sister is in my English class."

"Can't imagine what she's feeling right now," Toni's uncle said. "Did you talk to her at all?"

"Tried to. She totally shut me down. Called me 'Southside scum.' "

"Stuck-up bitch."

"My thoughts exactly. I sort of feel bad for her though, she doesn't seem to have many friends."

Toni's uncle scooted over on the couch and patted the cushion next to him, which Toni flopped down on. "I'm not surprised. But hey, she probably needs one now more than ever. What if you gave her another shot?"

Toni's eyes widened in surprise. Pretty much everyone she had talked to about Cheryl had said some variation of "she's a lost cause." But here was her uncle, whose advice she trusted more than anyone's, telling her to keep trying with Cheryl.

"I was already thinking that, actually. Even before this I guessed that she was hurting; no one is that awful unless they're trying to push people away."

"You're a wise kid, Toni," her uncle said, ruffling her messy pink hair affectionately. She smiled, gave him a hug, and went back to work.

* * *

When Toni walked into AP Lang the next morning, she realized how early she was when she saw only one other student in their seat: Cheryl. The girl's appearance was equally as impeccable as the previous day; her long red hair fell in waves past her shoulders and onto the tight-fitting black blouse that adorned her torso. Toni swallowed heavily as she stared at Cheryl, admiring the way her clothes clung to her impossible curves.

"What are you looking at?" Cheryl snapped, breaking Toni out of her ogling session.

"Sorry, didn't mean to stare." Toni started to walk over to her seat. "Hey, I heard about your brother. I know we didn't get off to the best start yesterday, but I want you to know that—"

"Please. Don't." Cheryl quickly looked away, but not before Toni saw the glittering wetness that threatened to fall from her eyes. The red-haired girl abruptly stood up and stormed out the room, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a sniffle.

Toni watched her leave, her heart aching with sympathy for this girl. Now, more than ever, she wanted to break through the walls that Cheryl Blossom was trying so desperately to keep up around herself. Before Toni could talk herself out of it, she followed Cheryl out of the room and into the bathroom down the hall, slightly jogging and pushing away the bustle of arriving students to keep up.

As she approached the bathroom door, a black-haired girl in a dress that seemed way too fancy for public school attire exited, along with two others. "Believe me, you do NOT want to go in there," she told Toni as she walked away. Not to be deterred, Toni pushed open the door and immediately heard the unmistakable sound of sobbing.

"Cheryl? Is that you?" Toni called out hesitantly.

"Leave me alone!" was the response.

Toni continued to walk into the bathroom.

"If you're here to gloat, I don't want to hear it," Cheryl said, as Toni finally saw her sitting against the wall near the sinks. Toni wasn't sure what she would be here to gloat about; this girl seemed to think the entire world was against her, a realization that only made the pink-haired girl want to help more.

"I'm not." Toni knew she wouldn't get anywhere by talking, so she just sunk down to the floor next to Cheryl, taking a leap and offering to put her arm around the crying girl's shoulder. To her surprise, Cheryl accepted and leaned into Toni, her tears running down her face and onto the black leather of the Serpent jacket.

The two girls sat without speaking for a few more minutes, the silence of the bathroom only disturbed by Cheryl's muffled sobs, at least until the jarring racket of the bell seeped in from the hallway.

"Hey, you should get to class. I don't want you to be late because of me," Cheryl said to Toni, sitting up and wiping her tears with her hands.

"Absolutely not, Cheryl. I will sit here as long as you need me."

Toni might have been seeing things, but she could have sworn she spotted the faintest of smiles grace Cheryl's cherry-red lips. "Thank you."

They stayed there a little longer before Cheryl stood up and cleaned her face in the sink, making sure to touch up her makeup so that nothing looked out of place. Toni leaned against the wall, trying not to stare but finding it impossible not to. This girl was so beautiful, it was unfair.

"If you could...keep this to yourself, I would really appreciate it," Cheryl said without looking away from the mirror.

"Of course," Toni responded.

They didn't speak another word until they walked into Mr. Hadley's classroom, interrupting him in the middle of a lecture about rhetorical techniques. He looked as if he was about to say something to them about their late arrival, but when he saw Cheryl his gaze softened and he resumed the lecture. Toni and Cheryl walked back to their seats as the former shrugged away a bewildered look from Betty.

* * *

"So...do you want to tell me why you walked into class with Cheryl Blossom today?" Betty asked as she and Toni walked through the hall after AP Lang.

"Oh, uh…" If you could keep this to yourself, I would really appreciate it, Cheryl had said, but Toni didn't want to lie to Betty. "I'm sworn to secrecy."

Betty gave her a quizzical look but didn't push the subject, for which Toni was grateful. "Speaking of Cheryl," the blonde girl said, "the Vixens are having tryouts today after school and I was thinking of going. Are you interested?"

"I'm sorry, the 'Vixens'?" Toni asked.

"They're the school's cheerleading squad, and they're actually really good. Cheryl's a bitch but from what I hear, she's a great captain."

She's captain of the cheerleading team too? Toni was uncovering more mysteries about Cheryl faster than she could solve the existing ones. "You really think I should try out?"

"Hey, it's worth a shot if you're even a little bit interested. My mom has never let me before but she says this year I've 'earned it,' whatever that means."

"I'm not much of a dancer," Toni said quietly.

"So, let me get this straight. You're not at all fazed by the prospect of spending time with Cheryl Blossom, Riverdale's own Marie Antoinette, but you're scared of trying out for cheerleading?"

"Hey, I'm not scared," Toni replied with a defensive tone, but her face quickly morphed into a sheepish smile. Betty was right; she had nothing to lose by trying out, and cheerleading did seem like it could be fun.

"Seriously think about it. One, you're hot as hell, and two, something tells me you've got moves."

"Well, you're half right."

* * *

Right as Toni's next class started, the ringing of the bell was immediately followed by an announcement by Principal Weatherbee. "Good morning, students. This is your principal speaking. There have been many inquiries about the upcoming pep rally. So let me state clearly, it is happening, as scheduled. Now, on a less felicitous note, if you could give your attention to Sheriff Keller."

Toni clenched her fists. She held no love for the grizzled old sheriff; he'd given her uncle many a roughing-up in the Riverdale Police Department's frequent searches of Sunnyside Trailer Park, as well as many of her Serpent friends.

"Most of you already know the details, but your classmate Jason Blossom's body was found yesterday. So as of now, Jason's death is being treated as a homicide. It is an open and ongoing investigation. Anyone with information can come to Principal Weatherbee's office throughout the rest of the week."

The sound of a microphone shuffling was soon followed by an unmistakable voice. "And may I interject, neither I nor my parents will rest until Jason's death is avenged, and his cold-hearted killer is walking the green mile to sit in Old Sparky and fry. I, for one, have my suspicions. #RiverdaleStrong."

Toni smiled to herself. This girl was something else. Barely an hour ago she was sobbing into Toni's jacket, and now she was calling out Jason's killer and introducing hashtags to the entire school. Toni prided herself in being able to figure people out, but Cheryl was giving her a run for her money.

* * *

"Okay wannabe Vixens, if you're still here that means you have a fighting chance at joining the ranks of the best cheerleading squad this side of the Mississippi." Cheryl Blossom had a way of speaking that made it seem like what she had to say was the most important thing in the world. "In an effort to determine your raw talent for this magnificent art, each of you will perform an impromptu solo dance to a song of your choice."

Toni's stomach dropped. A solo dance? She looked over to her right, where Betty stood looking every bit as nervous as Toni felt.

"If that's too much for any of you, I'd suggest you take this time to leave. A true River Vixen is always prepared for even the most unforeseen and difficult challenge."

As Toni watched some of the other candidates walk out of the gym, her nervousness began to transform into a fiery determination. All she could think about now was showing Cheryl that she had what it took to join the squad. Toni wasn't sure why this was so important to her; she had just met the redhead the day before. But right now all she wanted to do was impress her.

"Who wants to go first?" Cheryl asked, shaking her yellow pom-poms as she flashed a blinding smile at the girls.

"I will."

Toni felt all the heads in the room turn to look at her, but she didn't take her eyes off Cheryl as she walked to the center of the gym. "I'll be dancing to 'Don't Hurt Yourself' by Beyoncé." Toni was originally thinking about doing a song different from the one she danced her ass off to alone in her room every night, but she figured it would be the best option to showcase her moves...if she even had any.

"How brave of you, Ms. Topaz," Cheryl said, and it was unclear whether the compliment was sarcastic or not. But it did tell Toni one thing: she hadn't ever told Cheryl her name, so that meant the redhead had found it out somehow. The thought spread through her body like a mouthful of warm tea, and as the opening notes of the song began to blare from the speakers, Toni focused every ounce of her being on making this the best, most badass dance ever.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Walls**

"So, how were your first few days in paradise?" Sweet Pea asked as he rummaged for some snacks in the trailer's diminutive pantry.

"It's honestly not as bad as I thought it would be," Toni confessed. It was late in the evening on Thursday, and she and Sweet Pea were honoring their long-running tradition of a weekly movie night. "Everyone I've met is really nice and welcoming. Plus the school doesn't feel like a prison, which is nice."

"You've got that right. The cafeteria is ridiculous. They have so many desserts it makes my head spin. How can I possibly try them all before the school year ends?"

Toni rolls her eyes. Neither Sweet Pea's penchant for sugary treats or his tendency to hyperbolize were anything new to her.

"Also," Sweet Pea continued, having located the box of microwave popcorn, " _everyone_ has been nice and welcoming? What about that Cheryl Blossom girl?"

"Who told you about that?" Toni narrowed her eyes at her tall, dark-haired friend.

Sweet Pea raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, didn't know it was such a touchy subject. She just doesn't seem like the type of person to have any friends, let alone one from the Southside. What's your guys' deal?"

"It's not a touchy subject, Sweets. I've just...never encountered anyone like her. I'm convinced that her bitchiness is just a facade. She's damaged, man, and I feel like I'm the only one who wants to help her." Toni left out the fact that she wasn't just convinced that Cheryl was using spite and anger as a defense mechanism; she was almost certain of it after the moment they'd shared in the bathroom earlier that week.

"Well damn, I can respect that. But really, what is it about her that makes you want to get to know her so badly? Besides, of course, the fact that she's absolutely smoking." Sweet Pea gave his friend a knowing look as he put the popcorn in the microwave.

"I mean, I'm not going to deny that's at least part of the reason," Toni said, grinning at how well her friend knew her taste in women.

"Alright, I won't push it. Congratulations on making the cheerleading squad, by the way. I've been hearing a lot about your tryout."

"Really?" Toni feigned surprise, but she knew she had killed the solo dance portion of the Vixens tryouts. She remembered the amazed looks on the faces of her peers as she ended her performance, breathing heavily and wiping away the sweat that had begun to collect on her brow. But there was only one Vixen whose approval she sought. Toni recalled the stunned look on Cheryl Blossom's face that again hinted at the smallest smile before quickly hardening into a begrudging look as the redhead remarked, "Not bad, Cha-Cha. You just made the squad." It was a moment that Toni had been constantly replaying in her mind ever since, and every time she thought of the cute nickname Cheryl had given her it brought a smile to her face.

"Oh fuck off Topaz, you were there yesterday when Betty was raving about it to us at lunch. Don't give me that fake humble bullshit. Anyway, it's no surprise to me; I've spied your late night routines to that song many a time."

"Sweets! Not cool, man! You've really seen me?"

"Nope, just a guess, but thanks for confirming it." The tall Serpent's stern face broke out into an infectious smirk that the embarrassed Toni couldn't help but share.

"Guess you got me."

"Like always. Alright, popcorn's done, last one to the couch is a rabid Bulldog!"

They were about halfway through _Session 9_ , a low budget horror flick Jughead had recommended at lunch, when Toni realized she wasn't paying any attention to the movie at all. Instead, her thoughts, as they had been most moments over the past few days, were enraptured by Cheryl Blossom. Toni couldn't stop thinking about her flowing red hair that seemed to laugh at gravity, the way she crossed her legs and twirled her hair with a pencil during Mr. Hadley's lectures, how she had smelled like vanilla and lemons and the faintest hint of cherry in the bathroom on Tuesday. She hadn't crushed this hard on someone in a long time, and it was nice—but Toni knew she'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't scared too.

* * *

"So for our first project in here, I'll be splitting you up into pairs. You'll pick out a writer from a list I will provide, and together you will analyze the various rhetorical techniques they use in their pieces using the terms and definitions we've learned this week."

Toni gulped. She wasn't expecting a big project this early on in the year, let alone one with a _partner_. She used every ounce of her willpower not to look to her left, at the one person she simultaneously wanted and didn't want to be paired with.

"To make things easy but also to make sure everyone is exposed to new perspectives for this assignment, you will work with the person next to you."

 _Shit_.

Now Toni knew she had to look over at Cheryl, who was already staring back with an unreadable expression. It wasn't the look of sheer contempt Toni had been expecting, but it wasn't exactly warm and friendly either.

"I know you're all excited for the pep rally later today, so I'm going to give you this class period to discuss your plans with your partner and choose the writer you want to examine. Remember, we're focusing on building several elements toward an overall argument, so make sure to structure your work that way. Come up and talk to me if you have any questions."

The room erupted with the scraping of desks being moved and awkward introductions being made. Toni gripped the edge of her desk until her knuckles turned white. She didn't even know what the hell she would say to Cheryl.

"Um, excuse me Cha-Cha? Care to not ignore your lovely partner?"

 _That almost sounded like a joke_. "Oh, uh, sorry Cheryl." Toni scooted her desk over until it came in contact with its neighbor, the piercing squeak joining many others like it. "I don't think we've actually met yet. I'm—"

"I know exactly who you are, Antoinette Topaz. I, of course, am Cheryl Blossom, Riverdale's one and only bombshell and head bitch in charge. Feel free to tremble." Cheryl made a dainty motion with her hands, miming giving Toni permission to do just that. The pink-haired girl was about to respond before she was cut off yet again.

"First of all, Cha-Cha, I need to say that my little…" Cheryl lowered her voice, " _indiscretion_ in the bathroom the other day changes nothing between us. We will be partners for this project and nothing more. Understood?" Cheryl shot Toni a bright smile that didn't seem to reach her eyes.

"Look, Cheryl, I don't know what world you live in where crying after losing a loved one is an 'indiscretion,' but if you don't want to be friends, I understand that." Toni's heart ached a little when she said those words. "But I am also very sorry about Jason, I really am. I've lost family members too, so I at least have some idea of what you're going through. If you ever need to talk about it, know that I am here, okay? Also, we don't have to hang out or anything, but all I ask is that you not treat me like something you would scrape off the bottom of your shoe. Are we on the same page?" Toni ended her request with a soft smile, her proverbial white flag.

Cheryl's face was once again unreadable, but this time it fell into something much sadder. "Yes, Toni, we are. I appreciate your concern, and I'm sorry for the way I was treating you."

 _...Did Cheryl Blossom just apologize?_

"Hey, no hard feelings. Besides, I don't know if I could even be friends with someone whose favorite color is _red._ " Toni drew back her face in an exaggerated display of mock disgust. The joke was risky, but her moment of regret faded when Cheryl's pursed lips curled slightly upward.

"Well how unfortunate Ms. Topaz. For a second there I actually thought you might even be smart."

After selecting their writer from Mr. Hadley's list and starting an outline for their project, Toni was almost disappointed to hear the bell ring. Conversation between her and Cheryl had been infrequent and awkward at first, but it soon began to flow easily, and Toni had even made her giggle a few times. It was an action to which the Serpent would soon become addicted; she'd never heard any sound as magical as Cheryl Blossom's laugh, or seen anything that made her heart jump more than the way the so-called bombshell's eyes danced when she smiled. Toni was smitten.

"Toni, do you have a second?"

Toni looked over to where Mr. Hadley sat at his desk, beckoning for her to walk over. She quickly glanced to either side of her, watching the remaining stragglers file out of the classroom, before uncertainly pointing a finger at her chest in a wordless request for confirmation.

"I don't see any other Tonis in here, do you?" Mr. Hadley grinned. "Seriously, don't be scared, I just wanted to talk to you about a few things."

"Okay." Toni walked hesitantly over to him. She'd never been asked to stay after class by a teacher before. _Am I in trouble?_

"So first of all, I noticed that you'll be working with Cheryl Blossom on this first project. I'd just like to say that I admire the way you two interacted today. As a teacher, I'm not as clueless about my students as they might think, and I've never seen anyone be as nice to Cheryl as you were today, and the same for her. I think you'll be a good partner for her, especially as she goes through this rough time."

"Thank you, sir. I don't think other people here are very fair to her, so I decided to give her a chance."

"A choice that I respect with all of my being, believe me." Mr. Hadley leaned back in his chair. "Not many kids would come to the same conclusion."

Toni shifted her feet uncomfortably. She didn't get compliments very often from anyone other than her uncle, and she wasn't sure how to react.

"Which brings me to my second order of business: your writing."

Toni's eyes widened in fear.

"No, no, it's not bad!" Mr. Hadley quickly reassured her. "In fact, it is quite the opposite. Your assignments this first week are some of the most impressive I've seen from a student, and I've been teaching for quite a while. The way you articulate your thoughts is incredibly lucid, and you always maintain this infectious voice that makes it very enjoyable to read. It took me years to learn the same skills."

"Oh, well, um, thank you sir. I've never been told that my writing is good before."

"Well I'm sorry to hear that. Anyway, I'm the faculty advisor for a few writing clubs here, and meetings will be starting up in a few weeks. I think you should consider joining at least one."

"I will, sir. Thank you so much."

"It's no problem, Toni. Have a great weekend."

"You too."

Toni exited the classroom with a spring in her step. Not only had she finally had an actual conversation with Cheryl, but she'd also learned that she was a great writer. Toni had always enjoyed writing, but she never knew she was any good at it. Not even the gloomy gray sky that was dumping buckets of rain onto sleepy Riverdale outside the school windows could dampen her spirits.

* * *

In fact, that Friday was one of the best days Toni had had in a long time. She got an A on her first French quiz, laughed so hard at Fangs' impression of Reggie Mantle trying to flirt with Veronica Lodge that water was coming out of her nose, and finally heard back from Hogeye at the Whyte Wyrm where she'd applied earlier that week to be a barback—she'd gotten the job. After a successful first performance with the River Vixens at the rain-drenched pep rally that evening, it seemed like nothing could go wrong that day.

That is, until Cheryl Blossom stopped in the middle of her speech about Jason and began running at full speed toward the school. Toni watched her in shock; something must really be wrong to make Cheryl run away in front of hundreds of people. Before her mind had caught up she felt her body begin to sprint after Cheryl, water soaking into her sneakers as she shot across the swamp that used to be the immaculate football field.

Toni's blue Vixens uniform was completely saturated with rain by the time she reached the door to the girls' locker room, which she had seen Cheryl disappear into just seconds before. After taking a moment to catch her breath and wring some of the water out of her hair, she pulled open the door.

The sound of sobs replaced the soft cacophony of rain as the door closed behind her, and Toni was immediately reminded of coming across Cheryl in the bathroom on Tuesday. This time was different, though; Cheryl's crying sounded desperate, hopeless, _lonely_.

"Cheryl?"

No answer.

"Cheryl, it's Toni. Is everything okay?" Toni was aware of how stupid a question that was as soon as it left her mouth.

"No," was the small reply, and Toni's heart broke. She cautiously walked further into the locker room, where Cheryl was sitting with her knees up on a bench. She was a mess; her hair was wet and stringy from the rain and her once-immaculate makeup ran in streams down her pale face.

"Hey, come here." Toni sat down on the bench next to Cheryl and held out her arms. The crying girl looked up and hesitated, but then quickly moved over to Toni and reciprocated the hug. They sat there for a while, just holding each other, as Toni's right hand traced shapes on Cheryl's back.

"Is there anything I can do?" the Serpent asked. "Should I call your parents or something?"

"No, please don't," Cheryl responded, her answer followed by a loud sniff. "They're the last people I want to see right now."

Toni thought better than to pry. "Well, can I at least drive you home so you can change into some dry clothes?"

"I'd rather be anywhere else than home tonight, Toni."

"Well then, I'll take you to my uncle's trailer and you can grab a warm shower. Is that okay?"

Cheryl nodded before shakily standing up from the bench, causing a small puddle to form on the concrete floor. Toni offered her hand before she could talk herself out of it, and to her surprise Cheryl accepted, their fingers lacing together as they walked toward the lot where Toni's car was parked.

The short drive to Sunnyside was quiet. The only noises in Toni's beat-up old Civic were the quiet sounds of the Erykah Badu CD she always listened to and the occasional sniffle from Cheryl, who was curled up in a pitiful ball on the passenger seat. The two girls' hands hadn't parted since they left the locker room except to allow Toni to turn the keys and shift the car into drive, and their fingers remained intertwined until they got out of the car and walked up to the trailer.

The rain had mostly let up and Toni could see that there weren't any lights on inside the trailer, so she guessed that her uncle was at work—it was too early for him to be asleep. She was relieved; she knew he would understand, but she also doubted Cheryl wanted anyone else to see her this way.

"Here's a towel and a change of clothes," Toni said as she emerged from her room. "The pants have always been a bit long on me so I hope they fit okay. Also, be careful with the shower, it gets hot really fast."

Cheryl took the items, smiling gratefully at Toni. Even after crying for half an hour and completely soaked with water, Cheryl was so attractive that she took Toni's breath away. After the bathroom door closed, Toni went back into her room to dry off and change, trying not to think about the fact that just a few feet away, Cheryl was getting undressed and stepping into the shower.

"Quit it," she told her heart, which seemed incapable of easing off its assault on Toni's ribcage. Cheryl needed a friend tonight, not someone to take advantage of her.

* * *

It was about twenty minutes later when Toni heard the bathroom door open, and saw Cheryl step out holding her wet Vixens uniform and towel. Her face was scrubbed clean of makeup, her hair was tied on top of her head in a messy bun, and she was dressed in Toni's faded Pink Floyd t-shirt and grey sweatpants that somehow fit perfectly. Toni thought she was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Her pesky heart once again hitched itself in her throat.

"Where should I put my wet clothes?" Cheryl asked in a voice much smaller and less sure of itself than that of their conversation in Lang that morning.

"Here, I'll take them," Toni replied, grabbing the wad of laundry and tossing it in the basket in her room. "I'll go get them dry-cleaned tomorrow morning."

She walked back into the kitchen, where Cheryl stood awkwardly in place with her arms at her sides, seeming unsure of what to do.

"Do you want anything to eat or drink? I can make some tea or hot chocolate," Toni offered.

"Some tea would be amazing, thank you."

Toni started the kettle and motioned for Cheryl to come sit down on the couch in the living room. The girls sat there, listening to the pitter-patter of rain on the trailer roof, so close to each other but not quite touching.

"Listen, Toni," Cheryl began, "I don't even know how to thank you for everything you've done for me. Since you walked into class that first day I've done nothing but treat you terribly, and you've responded by being kinder and more gracious toward me than anyone ever has." Cheryl nervously picked at the collar of her t-shirt. "I am truly sorry for how awful I was to you."

"Cheryl, I appreciate the apology, but you haven't exactly been in the best state of mind this week, and I want you to know that I don't hold any resentment toward you for our… rocky start." Toni placed a reassuring hand on Cheryl's knee. "All I want is for you to feel better."

Cheryl smiled, the tears in her eyes threatening to fall. To Toni's surprise, she was pulled into a crushing hug. "You might be the nicest person I've ever met, Toni," Cheryl confessed before taking her arms back. "It hasn't even been a week since we've met and I feel so close to you."

"Likewise." Toni's heart was still in her throat.

"I… was going to try and keep everything bottled up inside, which is what my dear old mother and father have always expected of me, but I know now that's not going to work. Can I take you up on your offer to talk?"

"Of course, Cheryl."

The redhead sighed, nervously rubbing her hands across her sweatpant-clad thighs. "My brother Jason and I were so close. We told each other everything. He was my ray of light in that cold, bleak mansion my parents somehow call a home, and when I lost him I…" she trailed off, tears now flowing freely from her rich brown eyes. "I didn't know what to do. He was the only one I ever confided in, and now I feel like I don't have anyone. It was hard enough at first, but then last night my mother told me that she wished I had died instead of JJ and…" Cheryl's broken speech collapsed into uncontrolled sobs as she fell against Toni once more.

"Oh my god, Cheryl, I am so sorry she said that." Toni's heart ached for the girl in her arms, but she felt a conflagration of fury rise within her, directed at Cheryl's mother. _What kind of cunt says that to her own daughter?_ "I wish we had still had Jason, of course, but I want you to know that I am so happy you are here with me. You deserve to be alive just as much as anyone else, and if anyone says differently they are just plain wrong."

Their moment was interrupted by the squealing of the kettle from the kitchen. "I'm gonna go get that, okay?" Cheryl nodded, and Toni ran to pour the boiling water into two mugs and threw a Sleepytime bag into each one, bringing the drinks back to the couch in record time.

"Thank you Toni," Cheryl said weakly, taking the cup and setting it down on the end table. "For the tea and what you said. I think deep down I know that my parents are wrong when they say these awful things to me, but I'm so used to blindly doing whatever they tell me to that I can't help but internalize it."

Toni furrowed her brow. The Blossoms sounded like terrible parents, but at least Cheryl seemed aware of her situation, much more so than most other kids her age would be. "I don't know how common of an occurrence them verbally abusing you is, but you are always welcome here if things get bad again. Speaking of which, if you don't feel up to going home tonight you can stay here. I'll sleep out here and you can take my bed. My uncle will be home later but he will understand."

"Toni, do you ever put yourself first?"

"Hey, of course I do. I would never offer something I didn't feel fully capable of providing. I honestly surprised myself by trying out for the Vixens. If I had talked to my friends about it they'd probably have tried to talk me out of it. 'Northsiders don't like Southsiders' and all that. But I'm really glad I did, it's been a lot of fun."

Cheryl raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you didn't do it just to spend more time with me?"

Toni's stomach dropped and she thought she was busted, but then she saw Cheryl's smirk and recognized the jab. "Caught me. Just following the long-running tradition of everyone at Riverdale High throwing themselves at Cheryl Blossom's feet."

"It's a tradition for a reason; I'm pretty great." Cheryl laughed and wiped away the remnants of the tears that had been flooding her face. "But back to your offer. I would love to stay here tonight, I don't think I could face my parents tonight after running from the pep rally. Just know that they can't find out, okay?"

"Of course. You don't have to convince me not to expose you to your Satanic parents." Toni's eyes widened and she covered her mouth. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry."

Cheryl burst out laughing. "Have you not been hearing anything I've been saying? Doesn't take a real-life Poirot to figure out that my parents are awful human beings."

Just then, Toni's phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out to see a text from Fangs, asking her what time they should meet up. "Hey, Cheryl, I know we just agreed to never be friends less than 12 hours ago, and you haven't exactly had the best day, but my friends Sweet Pea and Fangs and I had plans to grab drinks at the Whyte Wyrm tonight. We know the bartender so we don't get carded as long as we don't go crazy. Would you like to come along?"

Cheryl pursed her lips.

 _Oh shit_. "No pressure, seriously. I just thought you might want to get your mind off things. And you're really cool, I know Fangs and Sweets will love you. And—"

"Toni, I'd love to come."

"Oh." A soft wave of warmth spread through Toni's body at the words.

"But are you sure they'd even want me there? Me being a Blossom and all."

"If they have a problem with you because of some stupid last name, I might need to find new friends."

"Toni, I… wait, do you really think I'm cool?"

"Hell yeah I do, Bombshell. Did you hear that real-ass talk we just had? Not many people could muster up that much strength after what you've been through. Seriously, I have so much respect for you."

"That really means a lot."

"Hey, don't worry about it. Let me just step out to call Fangs real quick."

Toni stood up and stepped outside the door of the trailer, instinctively dialing the phone number that was ingrained in her memory since they all got phones in seventh grade. Fangs picked up after a few rings. "Hey Tiny, what's up?"

"Hey Fangs. So, I'm about to ask something that might sound crazy, but I promise you I wouldn't consider it if I wasn't sure."

"Should I be scared?"

"Nah man, just… okay. Cheryl Blossom is at my uncle's trailer right now, and she's had a really rough day. Is it alright if she comes along to the Wyrm tonight?"

"Hold on Toni, I think I just lost you for a second. Could've sworn you just said Cheryl Blossom."

"The reception is fine, you ass. You heard correctly. And she is one boss-ass bitch who is not at all what people say about her. I think she'll vibe with us."

"Well hey, you sound really sure about this. I'm not about to say you can't bring her along. But I'm not tolerating any snide comments or classist bullshit, okay?"

"Neither am I, Fangs. Don't worry."

"I won't. See you at 9?"

"Sounds good to me. See ya then."

Toni ended the call as a giant grin spread across her face. How the hell did she luck out with friends as trusting and understanding as Sweet Pea and Fangs?

Cheryl was still sitting in the same spot on the couch when Toni walked back into the trailer. "Just got off the phone with Fangs. We are good to go." The million-dollar smile that Cheryl shot back just about made Toni melt.

"Awesome, I'm so excited! Do you think we have time to stop by the school? I have a more… suitable change of clothes in my locker." She gestured to her very casual attire.

"Sure, no problem. Try not to stunt on me too hard though. I was feeling pretty cute in this." Toni gestured to her outfit. She was wearing a pink and grey flannel under her Serpent jacket, cut-off denim shorts, fishnets, and her trusty black boots.

"Well you certainly look cute too. For the record, j'adore your flannel/mesh aesthetic."

Toni felt the room slip away, barely hearing herself say "Thanks." _Cheryl Bombshell just called me cute._ To Toni it sounded like a little more than just a straight girl compliment, but then she chided herself for grasping at straws. _Don't hurt yourself, Topaz_ , the Serpent thought as she walked out of the trailer with Cheryl in tow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Will**

"Fangs, PLEASE tell me he didn't actually say that!" Toni struggled to get the words out without spitting her drink all over the bar.

"I cannot make this shit up. And I quote—" Fangs wrinkled his forehead and puckered his lips in a frighteningly accurate impression of Reggie Mantle's perpetual douchebag face, "No, Veronica, you're, uh, way hotter than your mom!"

Sweet Pea, Toni, and Cheryl laughed even harder, tears streaming down their faces. Their rendezvous at the Whyte Wyrm had quickly progressed into another episode of Fangs' recounting of Reggie's epically inept courting of Veronica Lodge. Toni didn't know how her fellow Serpent was so good at imitating the self-absorbed meathead, but he was somehow better at it than Reggie himself.

Toni caught herself before falling off the stool that stood in front of the bar and wiped her eyes, still giggling. She looked over at Cheryl, whose saddened face had transformed into an absolutely magnetic expression of happiness as she laughed at Fangs' antics. Toni's heart skipped a few beats. When Cheryl Blossom smiled she made everything around her brighter, and when she laughed it was like she had the whole world at her feet. Toni couldn't get enough.

"Hey Hogeye, can we get another round?" Sweet Pea called.

"Sure thing kids, but I'm cutting you off soon." The grizzled old bartender chuckled softly. "Can't have a bunch of drunk underagers bringing the sheriff right to my door."

"I have two words for you, Hog: plausible deniability. Plus we're all basically adults anyway."

"Not much to plausibly deny when I'm the only bartender here, moron. And just because you look 25 it doesn't mean you are. Two more, that's it. I'm only doing this because I'd rather you be here where it's safe rather than some sketchy house party."

"Ugh, fine, you old killjoy." Sweet Pea took the drinks and handed them out to his friends. Toni couldn't be more happy with how the night was going. There'd of course been a little awkwardness when her and Cheryl had first arrived; it wasn't every day that a Blossom walked into the Whyte Wyrm, after all, and Cheryl was still a bit apprehensive about how she would be received by Toni's Serpent friends. But the stumbling pleasantries had quickly given way to an impassioned debate about what the best Strokes album was, and the conversation hadn't stopped since.

"So, Cheryl, what sort of stuff are you into other than chugging maple syrup?" Fangs asked. Toni shot him a warning look and started to protest the question, but Cheryl eased her with a gentle hand on her shoulder that sent sparks of electricity through her entire body.

"Actually Fangs, I'll tell you a secret if you promise to keep it to yourself," Cheryl responded with a slight slur that Toni thought was absolutely adorable.

"I'm all ears, Bombshell."

Cheryl leaned towards Fangs, holding up a hand in a mock conspiratorial whisper. "I don't even like maple syrup."

Fangs' eyes widened. "And so the mystery deepens. What else do people not know about you, Cheryl?"

"Well, for starters, I'm really good at archery. I've been taking lessons ever since I was little."

"Oh, no way!" Sweet Pea exclaimed. "Could you shoot an apple off the top of my head?"

"Probably. But I might be more tempted to put an arrow right between your eyes." Cheryl reached over and poked him on the bridge of his nose.

Sweet Pea put a hand on his chest and opened his mouth in indignation. "I'm hurt, Blossom. Whatever did I do to earn such a threat?"

"Nothing yet. Just watch your step, Jolly Green Giant; I'm a modern-day Robin Hood."

"Red, you have never been hotter than right this moment." Sweet Pea shot her a grin to make sure the joke wasn't misinterpreted.

"In your dreams. You're not even close to my type," Cheryl shot back with a cock of her head, taking a sip of her drink.

"Bullshit. I'm everyone's type."

"It hurts how wrong you are, Sweet Pea. Unless your serpent is actually a snake den, I'm not interested."

It took every ounce of Toni's being not to spit-take her mouthful of Jack and Coke all over the bar. _Holy shit_.

"Who would have thunk it. Cheryl Bombshell is a rug muncher."

"Hey, easy, don't make me regret telling you. It's not exactly something I'm very open about. If my parents ever found out…" Cheryl trailed off, her eyes losing focus.

"Oh shit." Sweet Pea's face flooded with guilt. "I'm so sorry, Cheryl. I am grateful that you confided in us."

"Don't worry about it. At least your first reaction wasn't to call me a 'deviant' and force the girl I was in love with to move halfway across the country."

Toni's elation at this new development was immediately replaced with a mixture of sadness and rage. "Let me guess, your mother's doing?"

"Correct, Cha-Cha. Mommy Dearest couldn't handle her daughter being abnormal in the slightest."

Toni reached out to envelope the redhead in a crushing hug. "Cheryl, you are not abnormal because who you're attracted to. I'm bi and couldn't be happier with who I am. You just need to find people to surround yourself with who are loving and accepting."

Cheryl pulled back, trying and failing to hide the fact that she was holding back tears. "Thank you guys, so much. But unless something changes I'm stuck with my bigot parents for the next few years. I'll just have to tough it out. And sorry to bring the mood down. The drunker I get the more I overshare."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Fangs reassured. "That's a crazy thing to go through alone. We're always here for you, okay?"

"How are you so nice? You barely know me."

"Hey, we know that Toni likes you, and that's enough for us. You're always welcome among the Serpents, Cheryl," Sweet Pea chimed in. Toni felt her cheeks redden. What if Cheryl thought he meant that Toni liked her as more than a friend?

"I don't even know what to say." Cheryl was smiling and her brown eyes were filled with tears, but Toni knew they were tears of gratitude and happiness. "You guys are the best people I've ever met."

Now it was Sweet Pea and Fangs' turn to blush. "Don't lay it on too thick, Cheryl," Toni interjected in a joking tone, "their egos are already big enough."

"No way Topaz." Sweet Pea thumped his broad chest. "Plenty of more room in here. Speaking of which, Coach Clayton told me I should think about trying out for the football team. What do you guys think?"

* * *

It was nearly eleven o'clock by the time the four teenager stumbled out of the Whyte Wyrm, each of them quickly coming to the realization that they had no way to get home. "As repayment for how nice you all were tonight, I'll call an Uber to get us all back to Sunnyside," Cheryl asserted proudly.

"Aw, Cheryl, you don't have to do that," Toni said.

"And how the hell else do you plan to get home?" Cheryl shot back.

"Good point."

The car ride eased the once boisterous group into a comfortable silence. Toni and Cheryl sat in the back of the driver's SUV, and before the Serpent knew what was happening she felt a head rest softly on her shoulder. Cheryl's bright red hair smelled as intoxicating as ever. As Toni heard Cheryl's breaths settle into a slow, regular rhythm, it took all of her might to stop herself from reaching up and stroking the sleeping girl's irresistible locks. Sweet Pea turned around in his seat, presumably to say something to Toni, but then he saw Cheryl and closed his mouth. Toni thought for sure he would make fun of her, but instead the tall Serpent just smiled and mouthed, "Be careful." Toni wished it was that easy.

The driver pulled up to Toni's uncle's trailer first, forcing her to end her moment of bliss and gently shake Cheryl awake. The two girls thanked the driver, said goodbye to Fangs and Sweet Pea, and walked to the door, slightly stumbling along the way. The redhead barely made it down the hall to Toni's room before collapsing onto her bed. Toni smiled and patted Cheryl on the back, then started to walk away to grab some pajamas and a pillow for her night on the couch. She was about to walk out of her room when she heard a soft voice. "Toni?"

 _Fuck_. That voice would be the end of her. "What's up, Cheryl?"

"Thank you for tonight. In that locker room I felt so alone, like I'd be alone forever, and you showed me that wasn't true."

"Of course, Cheryl. You are amazing and you should never have to face these terrible struggles alone. You deserve to spend time people that are just as amazing as you are."

"Like you?"

A warm tingle shot through Toni's body. "Maybe."

"Can… can you stay with me?"

"Cheryl, I—"

"Please?"

Toni looked at the girl lying on her bed, her pleading eyes, so much more vulnerable than the put-together bombshell that had told her they wouldn't be friends that very morning. Cheryl deserved the world, but all Toni could give her now was herself, and that would have to be enough.

"Okay. Just let me change first. I'll be right back."

She padded down the hall to the bathroom and was about to get undressed when she heard a loud banging on the door. Toni ran to get it before it woke up her uncle, but she immediately regretted her decision when the door swung open to reveal none other than Penelope Blossom.

"Where the hell is my daughter, you filthy busker?"

"Excuse me?"

"Cheryl. Where is she? I was told that you two absconded after her embarrassing cowardice at the pep rally. I won't have my daughter fraternizing with criminals."

"First of all, lady, I'm no criminal, and second of all, your daughter can make her own goddamned decisions. Now get the hell away from my trailer before I call the cops."

Penelope rolled her eyes, the right side of her blood-red lips rising into an infuriating smirk. "I don't know who you think you are, but Cheryl is not eighteen, and she must do as I say until then. Do try to call the police though. Sheriff Keller is a good friend of the family. I'm sure he'll be much more sympathetic to my perspective."

Toni clenched her fists. There was no way she was letting Cheryl go home with this psychopath. "How dare you—"

"Toni, it's okay."

The pink-haired girl turned around to see Cheryl standing behind her in the kitchen.

"Cheryl, thank God. I was worried this miscreant had hurt you. Time to come home."

"I will leave with you, mother, after you apologize to Toni."

"Excuse me?"

"Toni is not a miscreant, nor a criminal. She was kinder to me tonight than you have ever been in the seventeen miserable years I've been your daughter. I want you to apologize to her for the things you've said."

"I have absolutely nothing to apologize for. The Southside is a miserable scourge on this town and everyone who lives here is scum. Now come with me right now or I will make sure you never see the light of day again."

Toni was furious, but she knew that Penelope would just take her anger out on Cheryl if Toni did anything stupid. "It's okay Cheryl. You can go. Her apology wouldn't even mean anything anyway."

The girls hugged, Cheryl whispering a broken "Sorry" into Toni's ear before walking out the door. The Serpent slammed the door to the trailer, cursing loudly and bringing her fist down hard onto the kitchen table. She couldn't remember the last time she was this angry.

"Toni? What the hell is going on out here?"

Toni turned and saw her bleary-eyed uncle standing in the hallway. "I'm so sorry we woke you up, Uncle Thomas. Cheryl was going to stay the night here but then her cunt of a mother came and snatched her back."

"Sounds like Penelope." Toni's uncle walked toward her and enveloped her in a warm hug. "Did she hurt you?" he asked.

"Not physically. She just said a lot of horrible things. I wanted to punch her so bad."

"You didn't, did you?"

"No."

"Good, Toni. Penelope is a cunt, that's true, but if you show her that she gotten to you, she wins. Her entire livelihood comes from making people angry. Never give in, okay?"

"Okay." Toni couldn't hold the tears back anymore. She hugged her uncle again, letting them fall freely onto his shoulder. "Why are people so awful?"

"I don't know, kid. I really don't know."

* * *

Toni spent most of her weekend working at the Wyrm, but Cheryl, as usual, never left her mind. They hadn't exchanged numbers so Toni couldn't even call or text to check in on her. She did see, however, that Cheryl had done all of her work on the shared document for their project, and even attempted to reach out to Cheryl through the chat window, but got no response. The time leading up to Monday morning at 8:25 felt like years, and Toni almost couldn't believe it when she walked into Mr. Hadley's room and saw Cheryl sitting there like nothing had happened. Her fiery hair was tied into a high ponytail that cascaded down onto her shoulders, and her luscious curves were barely contained by a bright red top and black shorts. Toni felt like she could barely breathe at the sight. The Serpent made her way to her desk right as the bell rang.

"Cheryl! Oh my God, it's so good to see you. Are you okay?"

"Of course I am, Cha-Cha. Why wouldn't I be?"

Toni was taken aback. "Um… that whole thing with your mother? Friday night?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Cheryl's question was punctuated by one of her blinding fake smiles, and Toni was almost convinced by the deflection. Almost.

"What, you're going to just pretend that it never happened? Cheryl, you know that—"

Toni was interrupted by the sudden arrival of Principal Weatherbee and, surprisingly, Sheriff Keller, at the door of Mr. Hadley's classroom. At the sight of the two men, Cheryl abruptly stood up. "You're here for me, aren't you? Because of the autopsy?"

"We don't have to do this in front of your classmates, Cheryl." Principal Weatherbee's voice was stern but compassionate. Toni didn't know what the hell was going on.

"It's alright, Principal Weatherbee. They'll find out soon enough, won't they?" Cheryl held out her wrists. _They aren't going to handcuff her, are they?_ Toni wouldn't put it past Keller.

"Now, Cheryl, that won't be necessary," the Sheriff said with a reassuring wave of his hand.

Toni finally spoke up. "Cheryl, what the hell is going on? We'll find out what soon enough?"

"That I'm guilty."

Toni's breath caught. _This can't be happening._ Cheryl loved her brother, why would she kill him? She started to stand up, but realized there was absolutely nothing she could do. She could only watch helplessly as Keller and Weatherbee took Cheryl away, left only with confusion and a slightly broken heart.

* * *

"There's no way Cheryl killed Jason. Absolutely know way," Jughead argued in between bites of sandwich. "I'm sure she's guilty of something, but she was probably just being dramatic."

"That's so shitty that she just blew you off like that though," Fangs said. "Her mom probably threatened or something. Spider Queen Blossom sounds like a real piece of work."

"You've got that right. You should have heard the things she said to my mother about Polly at the funeral the other day. Just horrible." Betty patted Toni on the back. "I'm glad you guys had such a good time on Friday though."

"Yeah, we really did," Toni agreed. "She was so much fun."

"Seriously," Sweet Pea chimed in after finishing his cookie. "I'll admit it, I totally expected her to subtly insult us the whole night or something. But she's really cool. I hope her mom doesn't lock her away forever."

"Wouldn't put it past her." Toni looked over to Betty and Jughead. "What were you guys up to this weekend?"

The couple looked at each other and smiled conspiratorially. "Not much."

"Oh, gross," Fangs said, covering his ears. "We _don't_ want to hear about it."

"Come on, Fangs, I'm sure they'll want us to tell them about our magical night." Sweet Pea stroked his friend's face. "You were amazing, babe."

Toni burst out laughing despite being mortified. "Ugh, I'm gonna vomit. What, did Fangs beat you at Overwatch again?"

Sweet Pea scowled. "It was so close, Toni! So close!"

"Not that close, Sweets," Fangs teased. "Anyway, guys, I need your help. Do you know Kevin Keller?"

"Yes, of course," Betty responded. "He's, like, my best friend."

"Do you know if he… um…" Fangs looked more nervous than Toni had ever seen him. "Do you know if he has a date to the back-to-school dance?"

"Holy shit Fangs, is this finally happening?" Toni was incredulous.

"Tiny, I really don't want this to be a big deal, please," Fangs said quietly.

"Okay, okay, it's just… we're all happy for you, you know that, right?"

Fangs looked around the table, at everyone's amazed but smiling faces. "Thanks guys."

"To answer your question, Fangs," Betty began, "no, he doesn't. But I know for a fact he's been waiting for his very own Prince Charming to ask him."

"Well if I see Mr. Charming around, I'll let him know."

Betty rolled her eyes. "You're pretty much exactly his type. Just ask him. If he says no I'll eat Jughead's hat."

"Hey!" Jughead exclaimed, clutching his precious hat protectively.

"I'm not worried about it," Betty responded.

Toni gathered up the trash from her lunch and stood up. "Well I have to get to class. Some last minute studying to do before this biology quiz. Before I go, does anyone want to go to that _Love, Simon_ screening on Saturday with me?"

"What, you're not going to the dance?" Jughead asked.

"Not planning on it. Don't even know who I'd ask."

"What about Archie? I see him staring at you all the time."

"Ew, no." Toni shuddered at the thought of dancing with the ginger airhead. "So is that a no?"

"Eh, I doubt I'm going either," Sweet Pea answered. "Count me in, Tiny."

"You guys are lame," Betty said. "See you, Toni."

"See ya." Toni walked away from the table, scouring the courtyard for any sign of Cheryl. Unfortunately, everyone's hair that she could see was anything but red, except for Archie, who was in the middle of an intense arm wrestling match with Reggie. It appeared that Toni would once again have to wait until the next day's Lang class to talk to Cheryl. She only hoped that whatever the redhead was guilty of wasn't a serious offense, and that she wouldn't completely shut Toni out like she did that morning. She hoped these things because it felt like something was gnawing away at her from the inside out, and that something could only be vanquished by a certain bombshell.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Come**

Toni ceased her persisting cycle of toss-turn, toss-turn, toss-turn to look at the digital clock that sat on her bedside table. _3:38 AM_ , it read, blameless but still obnoxious in its unapologetic neutrality. Toni hated that clock. The only times she looked at it were when it displayed a time she didn't want to see, whether during a bout of insomnia or a particularly sluggish early morning. It was Wednesday—no, Thursday now—and the Serpent hadn't seen Cheryl Blossom since she was taken away during their first period on Monday.

She wasn't sure if Cheryl had been arrested, if she was being held captive by her parents, if she had come down with some illness. Toni knew nothing, and ignorance was _not_ a condition in which she was content to wallow. But her options were limited; short of driving to Thornhill itself, a terrible idea for many reasons, Toni had no way to contact Cheryl. The redhead had stopped working on their English project, and even though Toni had gotten Cheryl's phone number from Josie McCoy, her onslaught of worried text messages had been left unanswered. Josie _had_ said that she wasn't sure if the number was current, but that was only a painfully small amount of reassurance.

Toni glared at the clock, grumbling in frustration as she slammed her head into her pillow. Her predicament was made even worse by the fact that she didn't even know who to direct her anger at. Cheryl's absence might be her own doing, or it might not; Toni just wasn't sure. There was one person Toni _could_ be mad at though: herself. Why the fuck was she so hung up on this girl she barely knew? Why couldn't she get that beautiful red hair, those deep brown eyes, that infectious smile out of her head? Toni was aware that there was only one answer, an answer that she refused to acknowledge.

Having admitted defeat in her battle against consciousness, Toni got out of bed and padded to the kitchen, where she wrote a note to her uncle in case he woke up before she got back. She hoped that a soothing night drive might calm her down, and if not, it was something to keep her occupied before the Vixens practice in a few hours. It was the first one since the pep rally. As Toni laced up her boots and walked to her car, she promised herself that if Cheryl wasn't there, she would begin actively looking for her. For Cheryl Blossom, missing school was a rare occurrence, but not unheard of. Missing Vixens practice? Impossible.

The chilly night air, gusting through the open windows and sunroof of Toni's Civic, was a calming salve for her skin that had been boiling with sleeplessness and frustration. She breezed along Third Avenue, soon crossing the tracks and passing by Pop's; though the Chock'lit Shoppe's lights were on, as always, Toni could see that the dining room was completely empty. She sighed as the looming brick walls of Riverdale High came into view, only reminding her of Cheryl's conspicuous absence over the past few days.

As Toni made the trip back through the Southside, she glanced at the Whyte Wyrm and was surprised to see two vehicles parked there, despite last call on weekdays being at one. One was a motorcycle, which she quickly recognized as F.P.'s, but the other, a cherry-red convertible, she'd never seen before. Something about it didn't sit right with Toni. She slowed her car as she passed the Wyrm, bringing it to a stop along the road. There was only one family she knew of in Riverdale that could afford that sort of car, a family known for their penchant for the color red.

Toni's tired brain latched onto the mystery, and she found she couldn't stop herself as she got out of her car and quietly walked up to the Wyrm, sneaking around the side to the back where the deliveries were dropped off—both legal and otherwise. She immediately heard the voices of two men who appeared to be in the middle of a heated argument. Again, Toni was immediately able to identify F.P.'s gruff drawl from the many Serpent meetings she'd attended, and the other sounded vaguely familiar.

"...don't know who the hell thought it was a good idea," F.P. was saying, "but I promise you I had nothing to do with it."

"Do you really expect me to buy that, Jones?" The unknown man sounded angry, but his voice also betrayed a hint of anxiety. "And regardless, our deal was that it would never be found. I don't really give a shit if you dumped it there or not."

"What do you want me to do, Clifford?" Toni's eyes widened as she realized where she knew the man's voice from: the news broadcast she'd seen after Jason's body was discovered, which showed a press conference given by the Blossom family, led by none other than Clifford Blossom. "It's not like I can make them un-discover it! Besides, I was able to get ahold of the autopsy details, and there is absolutely nothing that links it to either of us," F.P. continued.

"You'd better be completely sure about that. Because if it comes down to it, you will need to take the fall. That is, if you have any concern for your son's safety."

Toni's heart sunk. _Jughead_. The pink-haired girl couldn't believe what she was hearing. She started to pull her phone out to record the conversation, before realizing she'd left it in the trailer.

"Do I have your word that nothing will happen to Jughead if I confess?"

"Yes. But I'm sure we can both agree to hope it doesn't come to that. Watch yourself, Jones." Toni's pulse quickened as she heard heavy footsteps, and knew that she had to get out of there before Clifford saw her; if he had F.P. so far under his thumb, there was no telling what he'd do to keep some lowly Serpent kid quiet. Toni ran back to her car and hunkered down in the seat, waiting until a good amount of time after she saw both Blossom and F.P. pull away from the Wyrm to drive back to her uncle's trailer. It was nearly 5:45 by the time she opened the door to her room, way too late for her to even consider getting any sleep before heading to Vixens practice. It wasn't like she'd be able to sleep anyway. Toni's brain was racing at a mile a minute. She'd accidentally uncovered a conspiracy of epic proportions, and she had absolutely no idea what to do with this new information.

* * *

"Hey, Toni, are you okay?" Betty asked with a concerned look as Toni entered the locker room. "You look like you haven't slept in days."

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks." The Serpent rubbed her tired eyes and began to change into her uniform. "Have you seen Cheryl?"

"No, but as far as I know she's supposed to lead practice today. At least, she didn't tell Veronica she wouldn't be here, which apparently she usually does."

"Who usually does?" Cheryl asked brightly, prancing into the locker room in full uniform with a spring in her step.

"Cheryl, thank God!" Toni ran to her and wrapped her arms around the redhead's thin frame, and warmth flooded her body when the hug was reciprocated. "Where have you been? How are you?"

"I'm fine, Cha-Cha, but I appreciate your fervent concern for my well-being." Cheryl stepped back and fixed her hair, even though there wasn't a strand out of place. "After Monday's incident, mother dearest thought it best that I stay away from the battlefield for a little while."

"Why didn't you tell anyone where you were? We were worried about you! _I_ was worried about you!"

"A conversation for another time, my serpentine schoolmate. I promise I will tell you. But for now, we must make up for much lost time. Vixens, start warming up!"

Toni's frustration was soothed slightly by a small but warm smile from Cheryl, but she still had so many questions that needed answers—and quite a bit of answers to which she had no corresponding questions. Toni needed to tell someone about what she had overheard at the Wyrm, but certainly not Cheryl, at least not until she had more proof linking Clifford to Jason's death. She fell in stride behind the other Vixens as they ran laps around the gym, the physical activity that usually calmed her early-morning anxieties doing almost nothing to remedy the maelstrom of confusion that raged within her.

* * *

"My dad said WHAT?"

"Jughead, keep your voice down! I told you that no one can know about this. If anyone finds out we know anything, there's no telling what Clifford will do."

"Okay, okay, it's just a lot to take in."

"Tell me about it, man."

Toni had ambushed Jughead before first period and pulled him into an empty classroom, where she told him everything she'd overheard of his father's conversation with Clifford Blossom. She figured that he had the right to know that his life was in danger, and if any of the things she'd heard about him were true, there was no student at Riverdale better suited for solving a mystery than Jughead Jones.

"Look, I'll do whatever I can to uncover more information," the young writer said, "but you have to let me tell Betty. She's an even better detective than I am, and I promise you that we'll have a much better chance of getting to the bottom of this together."

"Jughead, no. Just telling you is already dangerous enough."

"She won't say anything to anyone, I'm sure of it. Besides, there's absolutely no way I could investigate any of this without her finding out."

Toni sighed. The last thing she wanted was to put more of her friends in danger, but Jughead sounded confident in his girlfriend's confidentiality. "Okay. But promise me you will only tell her."

"I promise, Toni."

* * *

The pink-haired girl barely made it into Mr. Hadley's classroom before the first bell rang, flopping down into her seat next to Cheryl, who gave her a quizzical look. Toni almost turned around to talk to Betty, but then thought better of it.

"Good morning class." Mr. Hadley slowly stood up from his desk. "Many of you have reached out to me with concerns about meeting the project deadline, which was originally set to tomorrow. I've decided to move the due date to Monday and to give you a work day in class today. However, to make up for lost class time, I'll expect you to complete an extra assignment that I will collect tomorrow. Is everyone okay with that?"

Toni sighed with relief amidst her classmate's cheers. Not only was she grateful for the opportunity to talk to Cheryl for the first time in nearly a week, but she'd also completely forgotten that their project was originally due tomorrow.

"I figured that would be good news for most of you. Alright, get to work, but stay on task."

Toni shifted her desk close to Cheryl's as the room burst into the cacophony of clashing conversations. "So, now can you tell me what the hell has been going on the past few days?"

"Of course, Toni." Cheryl drummed her fingers on the top of her desk. "First of all, I am so sorry for my complete dismissal of you on Monday, and for neglecting to explain or even notify you of my absence. I hope you can forgive me. It has been… a difficult week for me."

The pink-haired girl's expression softened, her heart filling with sympathy. She immediately regretted the aggressive tone with which she'd started the conversation. "No worries, Cheryl. I can't imagine what you must be going through."

"For starters, Jason's autopsy revealed that he didn't die on the morning of July 4th, but over a week later. I knew this because Jason and I's boat ride across the river wasn't simply for leisure. We had been planning it for quite a while before then. Jason not only wanted to escape Riverdale, but also to make sure that no one would come looking for him. So he asked for my help to fake his death."

Toni's eyes widened. The mystery just kept getting bigger.

"On July 4th," Cheryl continued, "I rowed Jason to the other side of the river, where we said our goodbyes. I then went back onto the water to stage the accident. He was supposed to contact me within a week, and when he didn't, I was terrified for him, but felt that I couldn't say anything for fear of exposing him. The next thing I knew for sure was when his body washed up on the shore of Sweetwater River." Cheryl's eyes began to well up with tears. "If only I had said something…"

She was cut off as Toni pulled her into a tight hug. "Cheryl, it wasn't your fault, okay? None of this is your fault. You were just trying to help your brother. There's no way you could have known what would happen."

"I know, I know, but I still feel so guilty." Cheryl sobbed into Toni's shoulder as the Serpent traced patterns on her back. "And then the whole thing with Sheriff Keller on Monday, and my parents keeping me from school… it's been rough."

Toni was thankful for the preoccupation of her classmates; she was sure that Cheryl wouldn't want them to see her in her moment of weakness, as Toni guessed that the redhead would call it.

"Toni, I am so sorry I didn't say anything to you. Can I give you my phone number right now so you know how to contact me?"

The Serpent's heart jumped. "Yes, of course." She handed Cheryl her phone.

"And to explain my behavior on Monday morning; my mother was furious when she found me at your trailer on Friday, and I was terrified she would do something to hurt you. My original plan, my stupid, stupid plan, was to push you away in order to keep you safe. But then I realized that I have no right to make that decision for you."

Toni smiled thankfully. Cheryl was much smarter than many adults she'd met. "I appreciate that Cheryl. The last thing I want is to lose you. I'm tough; I think I can handle your mom."

Cheryl gently placed her hand on top of Toni's, the contact sending tingles through the pink-haired girl's entire arm. "I know you are, and I know you can." Their eyes met, and Toni felt her surroundings dissolve. Her classmates, the windows letting in the morning sunlight, it all fell away and there was only Cheryl and her eyes. Toni knew she could stare into those deep brown pools forever. But then Cheryl's gaze dropped slightly, and it took the darker-skinned girl a few seconds to realize it was directed toward her lips. Her breath hitched, and—

"Class, I just want to make sure everyone is staying on task and focusing on their project."

The girls' intense moment was broken as soon as it materialized, and Toni looked quickly over to Mr. Hadley, who was giving her a pointed look. Toni's cheeks turned bright red, and before she knew it Cheryl had thrown herself into scribbling notes down for arguments to add to their document. Toni didn't know what the hell had just happened, but she knew they wouldn't be able to talk about it for at least the next forty or so minutes.

But when class ended, Cheryl shot Toni a smile and gave her a small wave before speed walking out of the room. Toni felt an ache in her chest at the redhead's speedy departure, but at least it meant that their almost-kiss had maybe meant something, and wasn't just all in Toni's head.

* * *

The rest of Thursday and Friday passed quickly, with most of the school caught up in the excitement of the upcoming back-to-school dance on Saturday. Toni wanted nothing more than to sweep Cheryl up in her arms, ask her to the dance, and meet her lips in a legendary kiss punctuated with fireworks and cheers, but the bombshell had more than enough on her plate already. Toni was perfectly happy to be the supportive friend—at least, that's what she told herself. Besides, she wasn't a big fan of dances anyway, and she was excited to see _Love, Simon_ with Sweet Pea.

Yes, Toni was perfectly content with her more reserved plans for that Saturday evening. That is, until she pulled out her phone after buying her ticket to the movie to see a missed call from Sweet Pea, which was hardly ever a good sign if it occurred before plans they'd made. She quickly pressed the dial button and held the phone up to her ear.

"Okay, Tiny, please don't flay me alive, but I'm gonna have to bail on the movie tonight."

"It starts in twenty minutes, you ass! I already bought my ticket!"

"I am truly sorry. But I think I have a good reason. I got a date to the dance!"

Toni's anger was mostly replaced by curiosity. "No way! Who is it?"

"Her name is Midge. She's in my shop class and I've talked to her a lot since school started, but just now worked up the courage to ask her out. Luckily for me, her date bailed on her yesterday, so she asked if I wanted to go."

"Well that's great, Sweets, but you seriously couldn't have told me this earlier?"

"I really am so sorry, Tiny. I'll make it up to you somehow, I promise. Besides, you wanted to see this movie anyway, right?"

"Yeah," Toni sighed. "But now I feel like the loser who's the only one not going to the dance."

"Eh, think of yourself as the only one of us who hasn't gone soft."

Toni chuckled into the phone. "I can live with that."

"Alright, I have to go borrow something to wear, I own literally nothing fancy. Have fun. Love you."

"Love you too, moron." Toni hung up and sighed again. It really wasn't a big deal, it's not like they were going to talk during the movie anyway. She started to walk toward the hallway with all of the theaters, but saw something that made her stop dead in her tracks. "Cheryl?!"

The red-haired girl would probably have called her outfit 'casual,' but to Toni she looked absolutely stunning. Her flowing locks fell uninhibited down her back, which was cloaked in a bright red jacket, and tight black jeans covered her magnificent legs. Cheryl turned around, appearing just as surprised as Toni was.

"Hi, Toni. What are you doing here?"

"I was supposed to go see _Love, Simon_ with Sweet Pea but he totally bailed on me to go to the dance at the last minute. And you?"

"I'm here to see that too. Sorry about your failed plans."

"It's no big deal." Toni got over her initial shock and got a better look at Cheryl. Her snow-white face was drawn and her eyes were puffy, as if she'd recently been crying. "Are you okay?" Toni asked in the warmest tone of voice she could muster.

"I'm alone at the movies and trying to stay away from my parents, who have been doing their best to make sure I know I'm a complete failure and unfit to inherit their stupid syrup company. So no, I'm really not."

"Well, I was gonna go grab a seat alone, unless you want some company." Toni didn't want Cheryl to feel guilted into sitting with her. "But no pressure."

Cheryl's pursed lips broke out into one of her stunning smiles, a real, genuine smile, as she brought the straw of her cherry coke to her mouth. "I would love that."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Crashing**

" _...but these last few years, it's almost like I can feel you holding your breath. You are still you, Simon. You get to be more you than you have been in a very long time. You deserve everything you want._ "

Toni felt her eyes watering at Simon's mother's words, but when she looked over at Cheryl, who was sitting to her right, the redhead was silently crying, tears pouring down her face and softly falling onto her jacket. Toni's heart ached for Cheryl, knowing that Penelope would never accept her daughter the same way that Simon's mother had. The pink-haired girl slowly reached over and hooked her fingers under Cheryl's hand, which was placed on her lap, lacing them together and giving the palm a comforting squeeze as she began to trace shapes with her thumb on the back of the hand.

Cheryl turned her head toward Toni and gave her a soft smile, one that made the Serpent feel as though she were melting into a warm puddle of goo in the soft theater seat. Toni wanted nothing more than to pull Cheryl towards her and press their lips together, but she had already promised herself that if they did kiss, it wouldn't be while Cheryl was crying. Toni knew that just because someone was upset it didn't mean it changed their feelings, but she had had the awful experience of being taken advantage of during a moment of vulnerability, and she didn't wish that feeling on anyone, especially not Cheryl.

So, painful as it was, Toni turned her head back to watch the rest of the movie.

* * *

"So is it just me, or was that really fucking good?"

"It's not just you. It was beautiful. I'm so glad we saw it instead of going to some stupid dance."

They were sitting across from each other in a booth at Pop's. The dining room was almost entirely deserted, but Toni was sure it would get much busier once the dance ended in an hour or so.

Cheryl raised an eyebrow. "You had a choice?"

"Well, no, not really. But imagine if we'd gone together. We would definitely have smoked everyone with our moves." Toni brought her forearms up and did a little jig to demonstrate.

"You mean I would have, while you followed me around like a puppy." Cheryl's eyebrows jumped and her lips crept up into a smirk, causing heat to pool in Toni's core.

"You were there at my Vixens tryout, Bombshell. I know you saw the fire coming off my shoes. I was _hot_."

"I can't argue with that."

Toni bit her lip. "As much as I'd _love_ to continue on that vein of conversation, I need to say something."

"All ears, Cha-Cha."

The Serpent sighed and brought her hands up onto the table, twiddling her fingers together nervously. "About that one scene… I just want you to know that your mother is wrong. I don't care whether she was raised that way, or whatever the hell other excuses people give, but she is _wrong_. The people you love or are attracted to doesn't affect who you are. You are still _you_ , Cheryl. And you always will be. You are not deviant, or a failure, or someone who doesn't deserve to be alive. You are amazing, and beautiful, and kind, and… _sensational_."

Toni could sense their faces getting closer over the table, almost as if they were being pulled together by a magnet.

"You… you really mean that?" Cheryl asked softly.

"Every word."

Their eyes were locked, the clutters and clangs of the kitchen and other small sounds were drowned out, and at that moment Toni felt like they were the only people in the world. She searched for any sign of doubt or reservation in Cheryl's spellbinding brown irises, but found none. Their faces were inches away now. Toni pushed down the whispers of insecurity that had plagued her so many times before, and pressed her lips against Cheryl's.

The contact seemed to burst a bubble that had been growing inside Toni ever since she comforted Cheryl in the bathroom on the second day of school. It was like an enormous weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and as Toni leaned in to deepen the kiss, she felt Cheryl exhale with what she assumed was relief similar to her own. A deep, permeating warmth spread from Toni's lips down to her toes; she seemed to be melting, and at the moment that didn't sound so bad.

The two girls heard the jingle of the bell above the door, the sound breaking the spell that had locked them together. They saw a few couples, who Toni assumed had just gotten back from the dance, sit down in a booth on the other side of the dining room.

Toni looked back toward Cheryl. "Do you… want to go for a drive?" she asked tentatively, not wanting this to end.

The redhead beamed at her, drank the last of her strawberry milkshake, and replied, "I don't care what we do, as long as it's with you."

Her words wrapped around Toni like a fuzzy blanket, making her feel so safe and comfortable. No one had ever made her feel this way before. All Toni wanted to do was bury her hands in Cheryl's hair and pull her into another kiss.

So she did just that.

"Let's get out of here," Toni said as she pulled away, standing up and offering her hand to the still sitting Cheryl. "I know the perfect place for us to go."

* * *

The beautiful silence they'd briefly found at Pop's returned as Toni slowly brought the Civic to a stop and cut the engine. The peaceful surface of Sweetwater River stretched out beyond them, with the full moon's trembling reflection straight ahead.

Toni hadn't really thought about Cheryl's connections to the river, and quickly turned to consult her. "Is it okay that we're here? I know that…"

"Toni, it's fine. It's not like my only memory of this river is the fact that they pulled my brother's body out of it." Cheryl gave Toni a reassuring smile. "I have to ask, though; why was this the 'perfect place'?"

"When I was little, my mom used to bring me here on sunny Saturday afternoons. I would play around in the water while she sat and sang to me. Those are some of the only memories I still have of her, and thinking about them always makes me feel warm safe." Toni took a breath. "I wanted to tell you that you make me feel that way too."

Cheryl's eyes widened. "Toni, thank you." She tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear. "You make me feel safe too. With everything that's been happening, I always just feel helpless, or lonely, or forgotten. You are the only person who seems to counteract that." She leaned in toward Toni and brought their lips together once more.

"I could get used to this," Toni said with a grin when they pulled apart, resting their foreheads against each other. But the peaceful moment was again interrupted by an alien sound, this time the buzzing of Toni's phone in her pocket. "It's Jughead. Do you mind if I answer it?"

"Not at all."

Toni got out of the car and leaned against the door as she accepted the call. "Hey, Jug, what's up? How was the dance?"

"Toni, I... holy shit I don't know what to do, I—"

"Hey, slow down. Talk to me. What's going on?"

"They just arrested my dad for the murder of Jason Blossom."

Toni's heart stopped. "Where are you?"

"Betty and I are heading to the station. I don't know if we'll be able to do anything but we'll certainly try. I know he didn't do it Toni, someone is framing him, I _know_ he's innocent—"

"I'll be right there."

The Serpent ran her hands through her pink hair, her mind running through thousands of possibilities of what to tell Cheryl. She wasn't sure how the redhead would react to the news of F.P.'s arrest; considering how she seemed to view the Southside. But what else could Toni say? She didn't want to lie, she _wouldn't_ lie, but—

"Toni? Is everything okay?" Cheryl had gotten out of the passenger side of the car and was poking her head up over the roof.

Toni sighed, knowing she just needed to tell the truth. "Jughead just told me that his dad was just arrested for Jason's murder."

She expected Cheryl to be shocked, but the look on the redhead's face held so many more emotions. She looked terrified, surprised, confused, and sad all at once. "What? Are they… are they sure?"

"I have no idea, but Jughead is adamant that his dad is innocent. He was talking really fast on the phone, but he said something about F.P. being framed. And I think I might know by whom."

Now Cheryl looked even more confused. "What?"

"Here, let's get in the car. I'll tell you everything, I promise. But we need to go."

As Toni raced to the station, she recounted the conversation she'd overheard between F.P. and Cheryl's father. "I should have told you sooner. But he threatened Jughead, and I was scared too, and—"

"Hey, no, it's okay." Cheryl laid a calming hand on Toni's, which was gripping the gear stick so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. "I would have been scared too. And you're sure it was my father?"

"I wasn't, until F.P. called him Clifford."

Cheryl covered her face with her other hand. "Oh God... how could he do this?" she asked, the words dripping with desperate anger. "How could he take Jason from me?"

"Cheryl, hey, calm down." Toni turned her hand over and laced their fingers together. "We don't know anything for sure yet."

"It all makes sense… I knew JJ wanted to escape something but I didn't know _what_ , why didn't he just tell me, why…"

"Cheryl, I promise you, everything is going to be okay." Toni pulled into the sheriff station parking lot, slipping into the first available space and turning off her car. She pressed her forehead against Cheryl's once again, their noses just barely meeting. "I'm going to go in and see what's going on. Do you want to stay out here? I can ask Betty if she—"

"No, I'm coming with you," Cheryl said firmly, aggressively wiping away the tears that had begun to form in her eyes. "There's no way I'm allowing my psychopath father to let an innocent man get pinned with this."

Toni had grown accustomed to the fact that Cheryl's strength would always amaze her. "Okay."

Together they walked up to the door, hand in hand, and pushed it open. In the lobby, they saw Jughead, Betty, Sweet Pea, Fangs, and a few other Serpents milling around restlessly.

"Toni! Thank God you're…" Jughead trailed off when he saw Cheryl standing next to her.

"Have no fear, hat boy," Cheryl said, somehow back to HBIC mode in less than 30 seconds. "I know that your dad is innocent."

"What? How?" He looked back to Toni. "Did you tell her?"

Toni nodded. "I'm going to go talk to Keller and tell him what I know."

* * *

Thirty minutes into her questioning, Toni was starting to realize why witnesses were often hesitant to come forward. So far, she'd spent more time explaining that she wasn't lying and defending her own credibility than actually giving details about the conversation.

"And even if you heard this interaction, how can you be sure that Jones was speaking to Clifford Blossom."

"F.P. called him 'Clifford,' Sheriff. How many other people in this town named Clifford do you know?" Toni sighed. "I know you're not the biggest fan of the Serpents, and as such you are hesitant to trust what I'm saying. That's fine. But what I'm worried about is that my friends are in danger. Even if the man wasn't Clifford Blossom, he still threatened Jughead. And if it _was_ Clifford, then Cheryl might not be safe either. Can you promise that they will be protected?"

The Sheriff shifted in his chair. "I do think you're telling the truth, Ms. Topaz. But Clifford Blossom is a powerful man, and I need to be sure of his involvement before he even hears that he is a suspect. The Blossoms are well-versed in using money to escape sticky situations. But I'll have some of my deputies take Jughead and Cheryl to a safe house as a precaution."

Toni sighed with relief. "Thank you."

"No problem, Ms. Topaz, it's my job. I think we're done here." Keller stood up and opened the door, gesturing for Toni to walk through. As she did, the sound of pounding footsteps was immediately audible in the brightly lit hallway, and Toni looked to her right to see a very odd combination of people running toward them: Archie, Veronica, Kevin, and Joaquin, pursued by a pair of deputies. The gaggle of teens skidded to a halt in front of the questioning room, outside of which Toni and Sheriff Keller were now standing with equally puzzled expressions on their faces.

"We tried to stop them sir," one of the deputies said, panting, "but—"

"It's alright, Mendez." Sheriff Keller crossed his arms. "What in Sam Hill are you kids doing here?"

"We found something you will want to see," Kevin replied, holding up an object that had been bundled up in his right hand. It unfolded, revealing itself to be a Riverdale letterman jacket, which Toni could only assume was Jason's.

"This was in the lining," Joaquin said, holding up a small black flash drive.

Keller put up his hands. "Alright, everyone, just settle down. Mendez, put the jacket and the thumb drive in an evidence bag. Nichols, take everyone back to the lobby so they can catch their breath. I'll be out there shortly."

Toni was pulled away with the others, despite her burning curiosity to see what was contained on the flash drive. She tugged Joaquin's arm and asked, "What the hell is going on?" in a shouted whisper.

"F.P. gave me a set of coordinates a long time ago, said I should go 'retrieve' whatever was there if he ever got into trouble. We were all at the dance when Jughead found out F.P. got arrested, and I figured that was as good a time as any. I went with Kevin and these other two Northsiders that we _couldn't seem to get rid of_ to the coordinates and found Jason's jacket."

"What's on the drive?" Toni asked.

"It's video evidence that Clifford Blossom was the one who killed Jason."

The words, delivered so casually in Joaquin's easygoing speech, rocked Toni to her core. This fixed everything. Her story was corroborated, F.P. would be exonerated, Cheryl would have closure… it was almost too much to process at once. It didn't help that the station's lobby was even more crowded than it had been when she and Cheryl arrived. Betty and Jughead had been joined by even more Serpents, some of whom were sitting in chairs, others milling around the room. Toni's eyes scanned the crowd for the familiar shock of red hair, which she found sitting next to Sweet Pea and Fangs, who were talking to her with concerned looks on their faces.

"Hey, guys," Toni said as she walked over to them.

"Cha-Cha!" Cheryl jumped up and wrapped her arms around the shorter girl. "You were in there for so long, we were starting to get worried! What's happening, why were Kevin and that Serpent boy running down the hall?"

Toni sighed as they stepped out of the hug, not sure how to deliver the news that Cheryl's father was a proven murderer. "Remember when I said everything would be okay? I was mostly right, but I'm not sure it's all good news."

"Stop being cagey, Toni, spill." Sweet Pea looked irritated at her reticence, but his scowl was made much cuter due to the slightly undersized blue suit he was wearing.

"Okay, okay. Joaquin and Kevin found something that proves F.P.'s innocence."

"That's great news!"

"Yeah it is. But it also proves that Clifford Blossom was the one who killed Jason."

Cheryl looked like she'd been punched in the stomach. "That… bastard... I'm going to kill him…" She clenched her fists, her arms and torso trembling with anger.

"Cheryl, I'm so sorry. I really am." Toni enveloped the shaking Cheryl in another hug, not letting go until she felt the redhead's vibrations begin to slow. "But Sheriff Keller said we all need to stay here until he comes out and talks to us."

"Okay, I… okay. Okay. Okay." Cheryl repeated the word several more times as she sunk back into the chair, her face betraying a raging battle of emotions within her. Toni flopped down into the neighboring chair, hooking her arm around Cheryl's shoulder and pulling them together. Almost immediately, though, she saw the Sheriff emerge from the hallway.

"Alright, everyone, listen up. The evidence we have just received is confidential, but I will relay that F.P. Jones is no longer being held under the charge of first-degree murder. We need to keep him here a bit longer for further questioning, but in the meantime, please return to your homes. There will be no need for any auxiliary protection"—this he said with a warm look at Toni—"and there's nothing you can do here. The situation is under control. Anyway, I'm pretty sure we are on the verge of breaking this room's fire code." He said the last part with a wry smile.

The Serpents cheered, a near-deafening sound within the cramped space of the lobby. Its occupants slowly began to file outside, leaving only Jughead, Betty, Toni, Cheryl, Sweet Pea, and Fangs behind.

"Hey, Juggy, how are you feeling?" Betty asked, her face full of concern.

"I don't even know what to think," Jughead said with a shake of his head. "First I think they're pinning my dad with murdering a high school kid, then they say he didn't do that but they still have to keep him here? What the hell is going on?"

"Between you and me, Jug, I don't think you need to worry about your dad. This whole thing will be wrapped up pretty soon." Fangs stood up, shortly followed by Sweet Pea. "Alright, I'm going to go chill out at my house. I'm exhausted. Does anyone need a ride?" The remaining teens all shook their heads, and watched as the two tall Serpents walked out the door.

"Are you going to be okay, Jughead? Do you want us to stay?" With surprise, Toni looked to her right, where Cheryl sat looking at the hat-clad boy with a look of sympathy that made Toni's heart melt. The pink-haired girl couldn't believe that Cheryl could muster such compassion after the rollercoaster she'd been through.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, Cheryl, thanks." Jughead broke his intense focus on the tiled floor to look up at the redhead and smile. "My dad's been through a lot worse."

"Be careful, okay? I know Keller said it was alright but who knows what could happen. Keep us updated." Toni gave Jughead and Betty each a quick hug before leaving with Cheryl. The Serpent's main priority now was making sure that Cheryl was comfortable after the tumultuous few hours she'd just experienced.

They'd barely made it into Toni's car before Cheryl broke down into uncontrollable sobs. The waves of emotion had finally crashed through the powerful dams holding them back, and all Toni could do was hold Cheryl as she cried and shuddered into Toni's shoulder. She hoped that Clifford Blossom would get the justice he deserved for the misery he'd put his own daughter through.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Down**

Even though Toni, having been holding an inconsolable Cheryl in an embrace that seemed woefully inadequate, had wished eternal suffering and damnation on the monster that was Clifford Blossom, she couldn't have known what was to come.

The maple syrup magnate's hanging was the cherry on top of the ghastly sundae that was Jason Blossom's brutal murder, a final rearing of the tragedy's ugly head amidst a town trying so desperately to forget. Many of Riverdale's residents had never known such horrors, never even knew they could exist, but here were two gruesome deaths within a fortnight of each other, and father and son no less.

Toni couldn't say she felt any sadness for Clifford Blossom. His suicide was a selfish action, intended to escape justice for his crimes, which Riverdale would later learn were not limited to the murder of Jason Blossom. The drugs that had poisoned the Southside, that transformed many of the historically peaceful Serpents into hardcore distributors, were being transported and supplied by none other than Cheryl's own father.

The discovery was just another nail in the Town with Pep's coffin, sparking protests, angry letters, attempted curfew instatements, and God knows what else. The dark path that Riverdale had turned onto was now impossible to ignore.

But despite the calls for Sheriff Keller to resign, the vandalism and hate mail suffered by Blossom Maple Syrup, the rising tensions between the North and South sides of town, there were some things that just refused to change.

Like Jughead's appetite.

"All I'm saying," the weirdo began in between bites of his burger, the words barely making it past the gigantic gobs of grease he was shoving into his mouth, "is that there's something going on behind the scenes. First, an 'anonymous buyer' buys the Drive-in for some kind of crazy gentrification project, and now we find out that all the drugs in this damn town were coming from its flagship maple syrup business?"

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes and leaned forward onto the stone lunch table. "So, what, Jughead, you're saying there's a crazy Northside conspiracy to turn this town into a plastic utopia?"

"I mean, he has a point though," Fangs said. "There seems to be a trend of the Northside using the Southside for some ulterior motive. I don't like it."

"Huh, maybe. Until someone closes down the Wyrm, I won't worry about it too much." Sweet Pea turned to look at Toni. "What do you think, Topaz?"

Lost in her own thoughts, Toni didn't even here Sweet Pea until he spoke to her again. "Hey, Earth to Tiny!"

Toni's mind had been focused on the night after her and Cheryl left the police station. They'd driven to Toni's trailer and drank tea while Cheryl waited for news about her father. But all the Serpent could think about was the conversation that had emerged in the small but cozy living room.

"Toni, I… I just want to say that I had a really nice time tonight. Before, well, you know. This whole situation is so awful that I can barely wrap my head around it. But you always help."

Toni's heart had swelled at Cheryl's words.

The redhead let out an adorable sigh and continued, slightly more hesitantly. "This is new territory for me. I've never been in a relationship with anyone before and the thought of it scares me. All I know is that I like you, a lot."

"I like you a lot too, Cheryl. But my main priority right now is what's best for you. If that means taking it slow, I'm fine with that. If it means spending some time apart, I'll respect that. I just want you to be the happiest and most comfortable you can be. Because fuck, man, you need it."

Cheryl smiled. "I agree." She furrowed her brow slightly. "What exactly would 'taking it slow' entail?"

"Well, for starters, this is okay every once in a while." Toni scooted closer to Cheryl on the couch, meeting her eyes in a wordless request for permission, before raising her head and softly kissing Cheryl's perfect lips. She raised her hand and threaded her fingers through Cheryl's hair, reveling in the warmth that seemed to hang around their joined heads in a calming haze.

Once Toni pulled away, she continued. "And I want to take you on a date. A real one."

"That sounds lovely, Toni." God, she could never get enough of those smiles .

It was a beautiful moment, and Toni couldn't have been happier about how everything turned out. A beautiful moment that was almost immediately shattered by the buzz of Cheryl's phone, bringing her the news of Clifford's death.

Since then, everything had changed. Cheryl had been distant, withdrawn, barely even thanking Toni for completing their project over the weekend without so much as a joke about its quality. Almost two weeks had passed, and Toni still hadn't discussed their date with Cheryl. She was torn between the thought that she was making things worse by not asking, and the fear of damaging their relationship irreparably by trying to push it. But what killed her the most was how clipped and awkward their conversations had become. It was eating Toni up inside.

Having finally dragged her attention back to the present, Toni looked over to Sweet Pea, who was looking at her expectantly. "Huh?"

* * *

Toni's World History teacher's lecture was mercifully cut short by the end-of-day bell, and with relief she and her classmates began packing up their things and heading to their lockers. Before Toni left, however, she caught up with Fangs, who sat on the other side of the room.

"Hey man, I just wanted to finally ask after all the craziness afterward: how did it go with Keller at the dance?" She was afraid of the answer, having seen Kevin arrive at the Sheriff station with Joaquin, but also felt terrible for not checking in before.

Fangs sighed as he slipped his notebook and supplies into his bag. "Yeah, about that… seems like another dashing Serpent lad caught his eye."

"Fuck, Fangs, I'm so sorry to hear that." Toni put a sympathetic hand on his burly shoulder. "If it's any consolation, I haven't seen them together since that night. As a matter of fact, I haven't seen Joaquin at all. I wouldn't be surprised if he skipped town, he was pretty sketched out about the whole video thing."

"But even then, I'm still the second choice. The backup. Like always." Fangs shouldered his bag and started toward the classroom door.

"Fangs, c'mon, don't say that…"

"Thanks, Tiny, but I really don't want to talk about it. I'll see you." The Serpent boy didn't even turn around as he lifted a half-hearted wave goodbye.

Toni blinked away the tears that threatened to spring from her eyes. First Cheryl, now Fangs? In not even a month, her friends had been hurt so many times, and Toni felt completely helpless. She just wanted to go home, collapse on the couch, and stay there forever. But today was the first Blue & Gold meeting of the year, and despite all of the awfulness that had occurred Toni was still excited at the prospect of writing for the school paper.

There were a few kids already sitting down when Toni arrived at Mr. Hadley's room, some chatting, others sitting silently on their phones. She recognized Ethel Muggs, Valerie from the Pussycats, and, of course, Betty and Jughead, who were the ones who had convinced her to come in the first place. She sat down next to them, watching as a few more students entered, followed by Hadley himself.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the Blue & Gold. There's no interview process or anything, so if you're here, you are completely welcome to participate in any way you'd like. I try to keep a tight staff though, so make sure you're actively helping out with each issue. Let's go ahead and start brainstorming for next month. I was thinking—"

He was interrupted by the fashionably late arrival of pretty much the last person Toni expected to see here. No one could enter a room like Cheryl Blossom, and the tight red dress that matched her hair and lips that day just about burned a pair of holes through Toni's retinas.

"Hi, Mr. Hadley. Sorry I'm late."

"No worries, Cheryl. Thanks for coming. We were just about to workshop some ideas for next month's paper."

"Wonderful. I, for one, think the B&G should set its sites on the Sodale project. It's more than a bit suspicious that the Twilight Drive-In, though a dump, was purchased dirt cheap by an 'anonymous buyer' and then the project was immediately given to Andrews Construction." Cheryl finished her suggestion with a little sashay and sat down in an empty desk near Toni, as if it were no big deal that she was buying into the same conspiracy that Jughead was arguing for at lunch that day.

"Hmm…" Mr. Hadley hesitated at the whiteboard, where he had marked down an area for brainstorming. "Seems a little tinfoil hat-y, don't you think? Is there any proof of foul play?"

"I have my suspicions too, Mr. Hadley," Jughead interjected. "Whoever this anonymous buyer is, they've been planning this for a long time. It's all happening way too fast."

"You kids are already impressing me," Hadley said with a wry smile. "Weatherbee usually tells me to stay away from the political stuff, but I think I can handle him. If you guys want to investigate this and write an article, that would be great. But don't get yourself in trouble, okay?"

"Don't worry Hads," Betty responded. "If we do we'll just say you made us do it."

"Ah, I would expect nothing less, Betty." Hadley laughed. "But seriously, this is a school paper. No need to get into hot water, okay?"

Toni turned to look at Jughead and could almost hear the gears churning in his head. Something told her that he was intending to do whatever it took to figure out who was behind the Sodale project. It made her feel proud and uneasy at the same time.

As other kids chimed in with their own ideas, Toni nonchalantly arched her back in a stretch to steal a glimpse at Cheryl. The redhead was sitting ramrod-straight as always, her hands clasped atop the desk perfectly. As if drawn by a magnet, she moved her head slightly to meet Toni's eyes, giving her a small but warm smile. Toni's heart leapt; just that smile was by far the most intimate interaction they'd had in nearly two weeks, and it gave her the courage she needed to finally break their deadlocked dance of awkward glances and choppy pleasantries.

After the meeting, Toni caught up with Cheryl, jumping right into the conversation before she was able to talk herself out of it. "Hey, Bombshell, long time no see."

"Luckily for you, Cha-Cha, you get to see me every day." Cheryl flashed her a coy smirk that lashed heat through Toni's body.

"Fair." Toni adjusted her backpack nervously. "Is… can you tell me if I've done anything wrong? I know you must be dealing with everything, but I feel like we're so… distant. And I don't like that."

"You haven't done anything wrong, Toni. I promise. I just needed time, like you said. And I apologize for my lack of communication. You at least deserved to know that I was okay."

"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad you're alright. So… you're hanging in there?" Toni saw the bemused expression on Cheryl's face before her eyes widened in horror at the realization of what she just said. "Oh, my God, I didn't mean to say that Cheryl, I promise!"

To Toni's surprise, Cheryl burst out laughing, and Toni couldn't help but chuckle too. "Yes, Cha-Cha, I am 'hanging in there,' thank you for asking. Don't worry about your possibly premature pun; I'd honestly rather people acknowledge what happened rather than tiptoeing around me like I'm a pipe bomb or something. Apart from the fact that the Blossom board of trustees is breathing down my mother and I's neck, I'm doing quite well. I'm still missing JJ a lot, though."

Toni still couldn't believe that Cheryl Blossom, infamous for keeping all of her hardships and emotions behind layers of bricks thicker than the walls of Thornhill, was able to open up to her like this. Her, Toni Topaz, a mangy Southside Serpent whose entire home was probably the size of Cheryl's bedroom. It made her feel special.

"If you ever need anything Cheryl, please let me know."

"Oh, I will," the redhead responded with an adorable flip of her hair as the girls stopped by Cheryl's locker. "Actually, come to think of it, there is something I need. I believe there's something you said you were going to ask me?"

Toni couldn't stop the wide grin that stretched across her face even if she wanted to. "Hmm, not that I can recall…" She contorted her face into an exaggerated expression of deep thought. "Oh… something about a date?"

"Can't be. I hate dates, they're way too sweet." Cheryl was grinning too.

"Oh, so you hate me too then?" Toni took a step toward Cheryl, cocking her head to one side flirtatiously. "Because I'm very sweet."

They were inches from each other at this point, an electric field seeming to crackle and pop in the space between their bodies. Cheryl's grin had dropped and her eyes darkened. "I guess I'll have to find out for myself," she said in a husky whisper.

Fuck . It took every ounce of Toni's willpower not to slam Cheryl against the lockers and kiss every inch of her. She'd never been this worked up over just one person before, and Toni realized she might be out of her depth—and she loved it.

"How about this Saturday? I have a perfect idea," Toni said, breaking the tension between them and stepping back. She loved being a tease.

"Oh?" Cheryl raised an eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

"Can't tell you, it's a surprise." Toni slung her bag over her shoulder and pranced toward the doors. "Just make sure to dress warm!" She didn't turn around, but could still feel the heat of Cheryl's gaze on her back as she opened the school's doors and made her way to her car.

Even after a two week intermission, 'taking it slow' was proving to be much more difficult than Toni thought.

* * *

Later that night, after Toni finished her shift at the Whyte Wyrm, she called Sweet Pea. "Heyo Sweets, what are you up to?"

"Not much Tiny, just being productive as always." She could hear the sounds of Overwatch in the background and laughed at her friend's fib.

"Yeah… right. Anyway, I was thinking we could do something with Fangs. He seems pretty down about this whole Kevin thing and I feel bad that I just now found out about it."

"Oh, don't feel bad. I've been trying to get him to talk to me for weeks and I've finally just given up. I mean, I get it; if the first guy I crushed on after coming out rejected me I'd be upset too. But we're his family, ya know? I just want to help."

"Welcome to my life, Sweets," Toni said dryly, thinking back to all her attempts to talk to Cheryl.

"The thing is, though, I think the Keller kid actually likes him. But you know Fangs, he's way too black-and-white to get over one rejection. We just need to cheer him up."

"Hey, you know I'm always down. What did you have in mind?"

"Where the hell else do kids hang out in this town?"

* * *

Less than an hour later, the three Serpents were in a booth at Pop's, sharing a big basket of fries and swapping stories.

"I'm not joking, this kid looked like he was 12, max." Toni stuffed a handful of fries in her mouth. She was recounting Hogeye's encounter with a very unconvincing minor at the Wyrm the other night. "The fake he tried to use was literally just printed onto card stock."

At this, Sweet Pea burst out laughing, covering his mouth to prevent half-chewed food from flying everywhere. "Hey, kid's got balls. Gotta respect that. What did Hog say to him?"

"It was the cutest shit ever, Sweets. He took the fake and told the kid that underage drinking was illegal, but that he'd make him all the drinks he wants once he turns 21."

"Awwww, didn't know the old bull was so soft. If it were Tallboy the poor kid would've gotten drop kicked right out of there."

Toni chuckled at the image of Tallboy punting a small child like a football. "Hey, Fangs, are you ready for that history test next week?"

The Serpent didn't respond, only looking back from whatever he was gazing at across the restaurant when Sweet Pea gave him a gentle shake. "Oh, uh, no way. I just can't stay awake in that class."

Out of curiosity, Toni turned behind her to look in the direction that her two male friends were facing, and her heart sunk to see Kevin at a table a few down from theirs sitting with Josie. "Shit Fangs, I really didn't see him. Why didn't you say something?"

"It's really fine, Tiny. Sweets already asked if I was good and I said yes."

"Yeah, and now I'm saying you should go talk to him." Sweet Pea took a drink of his shake. "You guys have been playing eye tag this entire fucking time. Forget about Joaquin. He's clearly into you, man. I promise."

"You really think so?"

Toni leaned forward. "Fangs, the fact that you're not completely shutting us down means you know we're right. Worst case scenario, you'll know for sure and you can move on. But if that happens I'll eat my boots."

"For real," Sweet Pea agreed. "I can feel the air sparking, Jesus."

Fangs laughed nervously. "Okay, okay, you guys are right." He puffed a few times and straightened his Serpent jacket. "Let's do this."

Toni watched her friend walk over to Kevin's table with a smile. In an effort to avoid being a creepy spectator, she turned back around before Kevin noticed, only to see Sweet Pea eyeing her with a smirk.

"What are you looking at?"

"Oh, nothing. Just my friend who's fallen for a rich girl like a goddamn anchor."

Toni crossed her arms. "And who might that be?"

"Come on, Topaz. You check your phone constantly, more than I've ever seen from you before. Sometimes you'll look away at something random and just smile to yourself. No one does that shit unless they're crushing, hard."

"Am I really that obvious?"

"I've known you my whole life, fool. Even if you weren't, I'd still know." Sweet Pea's face was still plastered with that smirk that always made Toni want to kick him. He brought his hand forward and made a nudging motion over the table. "So? Spill!"

"I… really like her, Sweets. Like, a lot. And it kinda scares me. But we talked about it and she feels the same way so we're good on that front. There's just so many things that could go wrong. I mean, she just lost half of her family less than a month ago, we couldn't exemplify the phrase 'from different sides of the tracks' any more than we already do, and her bitch mother hates me for like fifteen reasons. I don't want to lose her."

"Toni, have you guys even been on a date yet?"

"No, but we will this Saturday—"

"Then stop worrying. This is what I hear. You're hot, she's hot, you're into each other. Who the fuck cares about all that other stuff? If Cheryl is even a halfway decent person, and I happen to know for a fact that she is, she won't let some classist bullshit or Penelope the Pernicious change the way she feels about you. And you've been her closest ally through all the shit she's been through." Sweet Pea leaned back in the booth. "Honestly I don't see how it could go wrong."

"Knock on wood, you ass!" Toni shoved her friend playfully, trying to cover up the fact that his words had almost made her cry out of gratitude. "But thanks. I know you're right, I'm just scared. It feels good to hear all that."

"It's the truth, Topaz. Expect nothing less from me."

"Oh I do, Mr. Productive. Also, 'pernicious'? The fuck does that mean?"

"Bad, hurtful, etc. Learned it from a certain bombshell with quite the vocabulary."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: And**

"Could we have asked for a better day for a picnic?" Cheryl exclaimed the question as if she were trying to ask someone who lived in the clear, azure sky above them, throwing her arms out and smiling as she felt the comforting warmth of sunlight kiss her skin.

Behind her, holding the wicker picnic basket, Toni smiled too. After what they'd gone through in the past month, Cheryl Blossom without a single weight on her shoulders was a sight to see. Her red jacket was tied around her waist, hiding (to Toni's disappointment) the tight-fitting shorts that complemented the pale-skinned girl's shapely legs. Cheryl's radiant hair flowed in perfect ringlets down her back, head held high as she closed her eyes and absorbed the sun.

Toni thought she was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

"No kidding, I can't believe it's this warm. It's almost October," the Serpent said as she began to spread out the blanket they'd brought over the grass, hoping that Cheryl hadn't noticed her gawking. "Global warming is a fickle mistress, I guess."

"As long as it keeps giving us beautiful days for beautiful dates, I'm okay with it." Cheryl finally turned away from the sun and started to take food out of the basket.

Toni smiled. "I'm so glad you'd take a date with me even with crop failure and melting glaciers. I'm touched, Bombshell."

"It's not even up for debate. Have you seen a penguin? Those little winged waddlers aren't even that cute." Cheryl wrinkled her nose before laughing at the ridiculousness of her own statement. "Oh, T.T., I'm an awful person, aren't I?"

 _T.T._ Toni liked that. "No way, you're right. Penguins suck. They can't even fly."

"I'm glad we have so much in common." Cheryl leaned into Toni, the pink-haired girl's breath catching in the start of a laugh that was silenced by cherry-red lips. Instead, Toni smiled and hummed into Cheryl's mouth, causing the redhead to pull away slightly and giggle. "Hey, that tickles!"

God, Toni just couldn't stop _smiling_. Being with Cheryl was like a drug, an amazing one with no side effects. She kept trying to hide the grin that wouldn't seem to leave her face by taking bites of her sandwich, but then looked up to see a bemused pair of brown eyes staring straight at her.

"What are you so happy about?" Cheryl asked teasingly.

Toni was used to being reserved with her feelings on a first date, had always let her insecurities talk her into hiding them out of fear of them being unreciprocated, or making the other person uncomfortable. But if there was anyone who needed to be shown that they were loved, it was Cheryl Blossom.

Wait.

 _Loved?_

Toni shook away the thought and continued to smile at Cheryl. "Just that I'm here with you. I feel so… _warm_ , and I know it's not just the sun. There's no one else I'd rather be with right now."

Toni saw Cheryl's eyes water and her lips tug upwards, a reaction that the redhead quickly transformed into a playful look of confession. "Oh, yikes, I'm not sure if I can say the same. I kinda wish Sweet Pea was here. You just don't have the same… _feminine_ presence that he does."

Toni made her best effort to contain her laughter and tease back, but she couldn't hold it in. The thought of anyone thinking of Sweet Pea as a 'feminine presence' was too much. As the dark-skinned girl's guffaws softened into chuckles, she settled down on the blanket and rested her head in Cheryl's lap, looking upward at the flawless work of art that was her face. "Hey, I'm really glad that we're able to joke around like this. It feels so good to laugh. And I, for one, can't get enough of yours."

"Oh T.T., I feel the same way. Thornhill's walls weren't exactly graced with much laughter for most of my childhood, let alone in these past few months."

"Well then, we have a lot to make up for, don't we?"

"I suppose we do." Cheryl was looking down at Toni, still in her lap, tresses of ruby hair falling in curtains around her and nearly blocking out the sun. It wasn't the first time Toni had felt like they were the only two people in the world, but in here in this sun-drenched park, somehow not flooded with people despite the unexpectedly warm weather, it could have been true. Distant birdsong, the soft rustling of leaves in the breeze, the steady pulse of Cheryl's breathing… if these were the only sounds Toni heard for the rest of her life, she'd be happy.

Cheryl pressed a chaste kiss to Toni's forehead as the shorter girl sat up to retrieve more food, a gesture that sent tingles through her entire body. It was just past noon, and for a period of time that could have been as long as an hour or as short as ten minutes the girls sat in peaceful silence, eating their lunch and watching as the park began to fill up with more people out enjoying the weather. Toni rested her head on Cheryl's shoulder, their bodies fitting together perfectly, conversation flowing as easily as the warmth between them.

"Toni?" she heard Cheryl ask.

"Yes, Bombshell?"

"Are you happy?"

Toni sat back a bit on the blanket and looked at Cheryl with a quizzical look. "Of course I'm happy. Why do you ask?"

"Hey, hey, don't be worried. I just…" Cheryl looked down at her hands, the fingers of which she was nervously kneading. "I feel like you're always helping me, and that we never talk about what's going on with you."

"Well I will say one thing, Cher," Toni said with a chuckle, "I think I know which one of us has a had a rougher start to the school year. But I totally get where you're coming from, I do. Just know that I _want_ to talk to you about the things you're going through. I don't feel obligated to do it, I do it because I care about you. Okay?"

Cheryl smiled. "Okay."

"To be fair," Toni continued, "I think I might know a lot more about you than you do about me." She laid down on her side on the blanket, propping her head up with one arm. "What would you like to know?"

"Oh wow, big question." Cheryl's mouth scrunched to one side the way it always did when she was thinking about something. It was one of the many quirks that Toni had grown to love about her.

There that damn word was again. _It's barely been a month, Toni_. _Take it easy_.

"Did you live anywhere before Riverdale?" Cheryl asked.

"Nope, born and raised. My parents were both Serpents since they were around my age, and I guess they loved this town enough to bring a kid into it."

"How come I've never met your parents?"

Toni sighed. "They died when I was five." She saw Cheryl's eyes water and her mouth begin to open. "Cher, it's been more than ten years. I barely have any memories of them. And my Uncle Thomas is as good of a parent as any kid could ask for."

"I know, Toni, but that doesn't mean I can't say that I'm sorry." Cheryl placed a comforting hand on the pink-haired girl's bare shoulder. "Every parent should be able to watch their child grow up. At least, the good ones do."

"Thanks, Cheryl. But seriously, I love living with my uncle. He's supportive, kind, and understanding. I don't think he likes my being in the Serpents much, but he felt the same way about my mom when they were young. To me, my parents are pretty much just a pair of smiling faces in a few photographs on the fridge."

"I'm glad everything turned out well for you. I can't say I've ever seen my mother or my late father smile at anything, save for things that would make normal people recoil in disgust or terror." Cheryl's hand slid down Toni's arm, making the darker-skinned girl shiver despite the warmth of the air, eventually reaching her own hand where their fingers laced together. "What sort of hobbies do you have, besides writing for the school newspaper which apparently neither of us knew the other would be interested in?"

"Just some photography, mostly. Landscape shots, photos of friends, things like that. I'd love to make a career out of it, but I don't know if I'm good enough."

Cheryl rolled her eyes at Toni Topaz's ceaseless humility. "Yes, I'm sure you're just _awful_. Do you have a camera?"

"Not yet, I've just been using my phone. Most of the reason I got my job at the Wyrm was to save up for a nice film camera. I hear the school's darkroom is pretty good." Toni shifted slightly. She didn't usually like to talk about herself much if she could help it. But this wasn't the only exception that Toni made for Cheryl.

"And are any of these photographs available for my viewing pleasure?" Cheryl asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"Um…" Toni's eyes drifted from Cheryl's gaze. "Yeah, they're all on my phone, but like I said Cheryl, I don't think I'm any good, and…"

"T.T., my God, I haven't even seen anything and I can already tell you're underselling yourself. If you really don't want to show me your photos, I understand, but I do want to see them. What was it you said? 'I don't feel obligated to do it, I do it because I care about you.' "

Toni smiled sheepishly, knowing she'd been beaten at her own game. "Okay, okay, you got me. Just take it easy, I'm sensitive." She grinned as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle," Cheryl shot back, wiggling her eyebrows, and despite Toni's laughter at her antics she couldn't help but notice the heat pooling in her core. She distracted herself by navigating to her photography folder and handing her phone to Cheryl. As the redhead began to flip through the photos, Toni sidled over to her, once against resting her head on Cheryl's shoulder—both because she craved the contact and, despite trusting Cheryl, part of her couldn't help but feel insecure about sharing her work. Toni's photography was such a personal thing for her, a way to control at least some part of the whirling world around her, a medium to convey the things she loved and the beauty she found.

But from the soft gasps that Toni occasionally heard from Cheryl's mouth, she had had nothing to be insecure about.

"Toni, these are… these are _amazing_. This one of the moon through the gap in the trees, how everything is placed so well, there's so much _movement_ , and the ones you took of Sweet Pea and Fangs, but their surroundings are captured well too…"

Toni, still with her head tucked into the curve of Cheryl's neck, felt a smile begin to form on her face, one that grew wider and wider as she listened to the redhead ramble. On the rare occasions that Toni showed someone even one or two of her photos, she rarely got more than an "Oh wow" or a "Jeez Toni, this is great"—both quotes from Sweet Pea and Fangs. Granted, her best friends were men of few words, and Toni knew she could always count on them for complete support (and honesty). But it felt good to hear someone really appreciate the thought Toni put into her work.

Especially when that someone was Cheryl Blossom.

"Thanks, Cheryl," Toni finally stated in a rare lapse between compliments. "Seriously. It means a lot. Have you taken any art classes? You seem to know a lot about technique and stuff."

Cheryl turned to face her, Toni pulling her head up and sitting back. "Why yes, T.T., I fancy myself as a bit of an artist as well."

"No way! What do you make?"

"I paint. Always helps to calm me down after a particularly hard day in _pénitencier de Pénélope_." Cheryl sighed, a soft, reverent smile emerging on her face. "I find it therapeutic, but also I just love working with colors. One color in particular, in fact."

Toni gently cupped the back of Cheryl's head with her hand and began to close the distance between them. "I'd love to see some of your paintings, Red."

"And I'd love to show you."

Their lips were centimeters apart when, as so many times before, a sound broke the spell. "Oh!"

The girls turned to look at the source of the exclamation, seeing Betty and Jughead carrying a picnic basket, both appearing more surprised than embarrassed. "Sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt. It looks like you guys had the same idea we had! Just figured we should come say hi."

Toni and Cheryl smiled and waved, both turning to Jughead at the same instant he blurted out, "So, uh, this? Is a thing?" Betty landed a not-so-soft punch on the scrawny boy's shoulder. "Ow!"

"Don't just ask stuff like that, Jug! You ass!"

"Betty, it's fine." Toni looked to Cheryl with surprise. She hadn't even thought about whether or not the redhead would want to keep their… activities a secret, considering how Penelope Blossom's moral code seemed to be trapped in the fifties. "Just… don't tell a bunch of people if you can help it, okay?" She looked at Toni. "I'm not ashamed. But if my mother finds out."

"Loud and clear, Cheryl," Betty responded, saluting her. "And I'll keep my less than socially inclined boyfriend at bay as well."

"Much appreciated," Cheryl said, giving Jughead a pointed look as he rolled his eyes.

"How's your dad, Jug?" Toni asked with concern. F.P. was awaiting trial for his role in covering up Jason Blossom's murder, but she hoped the fact that Clifford was threatening Jughead would elicit sympathy from a jury.

"He's… alright. Pretty nervous, but I keep telling him that with your testimony, things shouldn't be too bad."

Toni felt Cheryl stiffen next to her, and instantly realized that this probably wasn't her ideal topic of conversation. The pink-haired girl cleared her throat. "So…"

"Well, we'll leave you to it." Betty leaned closer to Toni and Cheryl. "Hey. Both of you look really happy. And that makes me happy. I'm always here for both of you."

"Thanks Betty," Toni said, reaching up to give her a tight hug.

"See you around, Truman Camopey," Cheryl called to Jughead, wiggling her fingers at him in a mocking wave. He returned it with a cheery smile.

"That was so sweet of Betty to say. Also, you should be nicer to Jughead. Betty already gives him enough shit."

"Maybe. But I quite enjoy my little game of coming up with a new nickname for him every time."

"You're not… you don't resent him for what his dad did, do you?" Toni asked hesitantly.

Cheryl sighed. "No… or, at least, I know that I shouldn't. It wasn't Jughead's dad's fault, my dad forced him to do all of the things he did. But still, the thought of someone knowing what happened to Jason and not saying anything…"

"Yeah, that's fair. I'm sorry to have brought it up, Cher."

"T.T., I'm not going to hate some beanie-wearing amateur journalist just because of something his father did. You like Jughead, and that's enough for me."

* * *

Toni would have been perfectly content to spend the entire day with Cheryl, but she had an evening shift at the Wyrm and Cheryl needed to go check on Nana Rose. Toni unfortunately hadn't met the one Blossom besides Cheryl that seemed to be a good person, but Cheryl always insisted that Rose would love her. To be honest, the thought of going anywhere near Thornhill scared the shit out of Toni. She wasn't frightened for her own safety—she was pretty sure she could take Penelope in an actual fight—but who knew what the spider woman would do to Cheryl if she caught wind of her and Toni's relationship. The fact that Cheryl had to live there was bad enough, knowing the awful verbal abuse she endured on a daily basis. It amazed Toni that the home in which Cheryl slept most nights was at once a battlefield and a physical reminder of all that she'd lost, and that the redhead refused to let it get to her.

As Toni threw open the door of the Wyrm, around five minutes late as always, her eyes immediately widened when she saw Sweet Pea at the bar with Fangs and Kevin, holding a bag of ice against his face. She ran behind the bar, punched her time card, and asked her friend, "What the hell happened?"

"Oh, hey Tiny," Sweet Pea grunted.

"What? That's what I get, an 'oh, hey'? Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?"

"Because it's not a big deal. Don't worry about it."

"Gonna have to disagree with you there, champ," Kevin said. "They beat the hell out of you."

Toni slammed her hands down on the bar angrily. "Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?"

Sweet Pea huffed. "Archie Andrews got Fangs and I a job with his dad on the construction site where the drive-in was. I've only worked a few days so far, but last night, after we stopped for the day, I walked back to grab my jacket and some guys jumped me. Said this was our 'first warning.' Would've been nice if they told us what we were being warned about."

"And what about that is 'not a big deal,' Sweets? You're my friend, I want to know these things!" Toni ran a hand through her hair, frustrated.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. It's just… embarrassing, you know? I'm a tough Serpent but I can't even defend myself?"

Fangs punched Sweet Pea in the arm, causing the taller boy to grown. "There were three guys, you meathead, I saw them run away. How are you supposed to win a 1v3 fight? Plus, they jumped you. We all get our asses kicked sometimes, and if you want to make it a competition, I think your loss is pretty respectable."

"Whatever," Sweet Pea grumbled.

"What did Mr. Andrews say about it?" Toni asked.

"He doesn't want me or any of the other high schoolers to help out anymore. Says it's too dangerous for us. I told him the Serpents would offer protection but I don't know if he liked the idea of that."

"Didn't F.P. used to work for him?"

"Yeah, until he got fired. I don't think F.P. has worked for Andrews Construction in a long time."

"Well, maybe he's right. If whoever sent those thugs is willing to beat up _kids_ , then…"

"It sucks though! I was really liking that job." Sweet Pea removed the bag of ice from his face to readjust it, briefly revealing a mottled patch of purple bruising around his left eye. "I gotta bone to pick with whoever sent those goons."

Toni thought back to what Jughead and Cheryl had been saying at the Blue & Gold meeting. _Anonymous buyer… Sodale… foul play…_ "There's some shady shit going on with that project," she said.

"Tell me about it," Kevin agreed. "Mr. Andrews is a nice guy, but I think he's in way over his head, because everyone else involved doesn't seem nearly as nice. But at the same time, watching Fangs haul rocks was quite a sight." He flashed a radiant grin at the Serpent, who blushed like a tomato and excused himself to the bathroom.

Toni laughed. "You're a king, Keller. I've never seen Fangs that embarrassed. He's usually the one embarrassing _me_."

"At your service, Toni," Kevin responded with a salute. "He says he's okay with me being affectionate in public, but he blushes like crazy every time. I love it!"

"Always knew Fangs was a big ol' softie," Toni said, grateful that her friend had finally found a good guy.

* * *

As the evening wore on, the Wyrm got busier and busier, leaving less time for conversation. The time flew by, as Toni rushed back and forth from the bar to the back of house to retrieve more drinks and supplies. It wasn't until midnight that things started to slow down and Toni could catch her breath, having the odd conversation with whatever Serpents were sitting at the bar while she was up there. Even when all Toni had left to do was clean up, she was so lost in her own rhythm that she failed to notice the new addition at the bar when she returned.

"Your hair looks great tied back like that."

Toni was so startled she almost dropped the plastic container of glasses she was carrying. She turned around to see none other than Cheryl Blossom, dressed (of course) in a completely different outfit than the one she'd been wearing earlier, a million-dollar smile beaming from her face.

"You scared the shit out of me, Cheryl! I'm glad to see you though, it's been crazy. What brings you here?"

"I knew you were at work and I just wanted to say hi." Cheryl flipped her hair back over her right shoulder, a simple gesture that always mesmerized Toni. "So what are Saturday nights like in the Southside?"

"Loud." Toni nodded her head toward a group of older Serpents playing pool on the other side of the bar, and almost as if on queue they started cheering and clapping each other on the back.

"Well, it's probably more exciting than Thornhill, which seems to become colder and more boring on nights when other people are having fun."

"Topaz!"

Again Toni was almost given a heart attack by someone behind her. This time it was Hogeye.

"These glasses aren't gonna clean themselves!"

"Oh, sorry Hog, I—"

"Nah, kid, I'm just fuckin' with you. Already past your shift anyway. You're good to go, I'll close up the rest."

Toni gave him a gracious look, her body relaxing at the news. "Thanks." She turned back to Cheryl. "Hey, I'll be outside in five minutes."

The redhead smiled as she sashayed toward the door. "Don't be late!"

Toni heard Hogeye chuckle. "Damn, Topaz. Who's the lucky lady?"

She tried and failed to hide the blush that spread across her cheeks, instead taking aim at her boss with a spare hair tie. "None of your business, ya old creep!" She yelled playfully, shooting the tie at him as he ducked into the kitchen.

Exactly five minutes from when Cheryl left the bar, Toni walked out with her bag full of stuff, hair released from it's tie and poofing out over her shoulder.

"Your boss seems nice," Cheryl said as Toni approached her, nonchalantly leaning against her cherry red convertible. The car didn't exactly blend in with the others in the Wyrm parking lot.

"Yeah, he's awesome. Him and my uncle are good friends so I get paid under the table."

"Does _anyone_ make money legitimately in this town?" Cheryl lamented, throwing up her arms.

"Easy for you to say, Miss Impala," Toni countered, gesturing toward the convertible.

"Oh, psh. You love it even more than I do."

"Maybe"—Toni was so close to Cheryl now that the breath behind every word fell onto the redhead's neck, making her shudder—"because it's so good to make out in."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: There**

"I, Clifford Cochrane Blossom, being of sound mind and body, do here inscribe the terms of my last will and testament…"

Toni sighed, trying and nearly failing to stifle the yawn that crept up her throat. When Cheryl had asked Toni to accompany her to her father's will reading for, as Cheryl had put it, "emotional support," the pink-haired girl didn't even hesitate before accepting. She couldn't imagine sitting as your drug-dealing, murdering father's assets were distributed to money-hungry board members, let alone doing it alone. Toni wanted Cheryl to know that she'd be there for her no matter what.

But oh _God_ , was it boring.

"Firstly, ownership of Thistlehouse will stay with our beloved matriarch, Roseanne Blossom."

Cheryl squeezed Toni's hand, the contact hidden from view of Penelope between their bodies. Toni had never even been to either of the Blossoms' houses, let alone both of them, until today, but she did know that the majority of the depressingly few pleasant childhood memories Cheryl had were from visits with her grandmother at Thistlehouse. The revelation had only made Toni want to meet the old Blossom woman more. She snuck a glance to the other side of Cheryl where Rose was sitting. The elderly woman's expression was unreadable, save for a nearly imperceptible smile, her lips the same color as the crimson curl that ran through her short white hair.

"To my wife and partner, Penelope, I leave ownership of our greatest treasure, Thornhill, the exquisite mansion she made a home."

Toni felt another squeeze, a much harder one this time. She saw Cheryl lean over to her mother and whisper into her ear. Toni couldn't make out exactly what she was saying, but she picked up on the words "husk" and "fitting," and based on the way Penelope's already irritated expression grew more and more drawn, she guessed it was a jab about how lonely the mansion would be. Toni smiled to herself. Recently, Cheryl never passed up a chance to stand up to her mother, and here she had the security of knowing that Penelope wouldn't make a scene by snapping back. She never thought she'd feel pride at someone comparing their mother's heart to a massive, empty house, but in Toni's opinion, Penelope deserved everything she got.

"Any and all remaining assets of my fortune will be divided in half."

Behind the two girls, unmistakable sounds of cleared throats and shifting bodies could be heard. This was clearly what most of the attendees had come for. Toni rolled her eyes. Greed was something she would never understand.

"The first half will be distributed equally to anyone in Riverdale who can prove, with medical authentication, that even one drop of Blossom blood flows through their veins."

 _Of course_. Even in death, Clifford was maintaining the creepy idealization of a 'pure' bloodline. As if on queue, Cheryl turned to Toni and rolled her eyes, making a silent gagging motion. Toni turned her lips inward to keep from bursting out laughing.

"The other half of my fortune will go to my true heirs, Jason and Cheryl."

The third and final squeeze of Toni's hand was the hardest. This was why Cheryl had needed Toni to come so badly; the redhead knew that her and Jason would both be in the will, and that it would be difficult to accept whatever they were left on her own. But as Cheryl stood up from her chair, straightened the black dress whose lace accents just about made Toni have a heart attack, and made her way to the front of the room, the young Blossom heir was the picture of confidence. Toni had spent so much time trying to peel back the layers of protection that Cheryl had built around her heart, but being in this room filled with red-haired vultures made her realize how crucial those layers were. Showing a single sign of weakness meant defeat.

And looking at the steely glimmer of determination in Cheryl's brown eyes as she addressed the room, it was clear she had no intention of doing anything other than winning.

"To the friends, family, acquaintances, business partners, and God knows whatever else of my late father's, thank you for coming today. As you may notice, my brother Jason is not standing here with me, even though he too was named in the will. That's because our beloved Clifford Blossom shot his own son in cold blood."

Next to Toni, Penelope looked like she was about to break the chair she was sitting in, her fingers curled around the armrests like a hawk's talons around a mouse.

"It's not the first time such a horrible crime has been committed in our accursed family tree. The Blossom bloodline's only legacy is its greed and its hate. But I stand before you now to say, _no more_. I have no desire to see any of you selfish scavengers again after we adjourn today. As of yesterday, I have been legally emancipated from my abusive mother, and the only thing in my life that will remain associated with this terrible family is my last name. Thank you! Please don't let the door hit you on the way out."

Cheryl gave her stunned audience a little wave and walked back toward Toni, who she offered her hand. The shorter girl, unable to conceal the shit-eating grin that had spread across her face, accepted it, doing a little twirl as she stood up.

"Farewell, mother dearest," Cheryl said with a mocking sigh as she turned toward Penelope. "I expect, nay, hope I won't be seeing you very often anymore. Try not to drive yourself insane in this ghastly prison-house of yours."

Penelope's eyes were filled with so much anger that Toni was almost worried they would shoot hot jets of fire. The red-haired woman stood up, and before either girl knew what was happening her arm shot out and latched onto Cheryl's chin.

"You think you can just leave this family behind that quickly, you little bitch of a daughter? You are a Blossom, through and through. You're just as hateful and greedy and loveless as all the rest of us. You'll drive everyone you care about away, just like you always do, and you'll be alone. Utterly alone. And I swear to God if you come running back, I'll spit in your smarmy, entitled face."

Toni finally came to her senses, and, seeing the tears begin to roll down Cheryl's cheeks, was filled with a fiery anger of her own. She kicked Penelope in the shin, causing her to howl and release her grip on Cheryl, and wrapped her hand around the older woman's neck.

"If you ever touch Cheryl again, I will kill you. Slowly."

Even Toni was momentarily surprised by the amount of venom in her voice. Clearly, so was Penelope, whose eyes had exchanged their furious glint for a look of pure horror.

"Do. You. Understand. Me?" Toni said with gritted teeth, slightly tightening her grip with each word.

"Y-yes," Penelope croaked out, weakly pawing at Toni's arm.

"We're leaving, mother," Cheryl proclaimed sweetly, the tears already gone. "You have no power anymore. Enjoy that."

Toni released Penelope, watching with disgust as the evil woman stumbled backward, gasping. She looked at Cheryl, who smiled at her and once more offered a hand. Toni took it, and the girls walked past the attendees, most of whom resembled deer in headlights.

The pair had barely made it out of the grand entryway of Thornhill and into Toni's Civic before Cheryl's iron-clad facade crumbled and the tears began to fall. It was difficult for Toni to fathom how one person could be so evil, to their own daughter no less; Penelope had felt Cheryl slipping from her clutches and delivered one last final blow. Maybe, deep within whatever hell pit masqueraded as Penelope Blossom's heart, that could be classified as love, but Toni didn't care. The only perspective that mattered was that Cheryl was hurt.

"Hey, Cher, you were so strong in there. She has no power over you anymore, you know that right?"

"T.T., I _hate_ her, why does she always reduce me to a pathetic crying mess?"

"Cheryl, you are not pathetic. You just denounced your own family and mother in front of dozens of people. That is the most impressive thing I've ever seen someone do. Hands down. And your mother was just saying things that she knew would hurt you because she felt you slipping from her grasp. None of it was true."

"But she's _right_ , I _do_ push everyone away, I—"

"You're going to have to do a whole hell of a lot to push me away, Bombshell. And I wouldn't recommend it, because hell hath no fury like a Topaz scorned."

Cheryl smiled through her tears at the joke, sniffing softly and wiping some of the liquid off her face. "Thank you, for defending me back there. I don't know anyone who would have done that, maybe not even JJ."

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I told you I'm not scared of your mother."

"I wish I could say the same."

"Cheryl, it will take _time_. You shouldn't beat yourself up because your mother is horrible to you. You're free now."

"You're right, I'm free." Cheryl grinned as if she hadn't realized this before. And honestly, Toni wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't after spending her entire life under the Blossoms' control. "I'm _free_ , T.T."

"Damn right you are, Bombshell. What's your first move as a free woman?"

"This," Cheryl said breathily, leaning into Toni who was sprawled across the driver's seat. Their lips met, the familiar sparking warmth spreading through Toni's body. But it felt different this time; unrestrained, limitless, like they'd been trapped underneath a glass dome that had just been lifted. Toni realized that Cheryl finally felt confident in being herself, completely, without any thoughts of what her mother might do if she found out. The thought made the shorter girl deepen the kiss as Cheryl sighed into her, both of them breathing heavily as their tongues intertwined. Toni knew if she didn't stop soon, things might happen, and she wanted Cheryl to be ready for that.

The kiss faded naturally, Toni and Cheryl leaning their foreheads into each other, their ragged breaths the only sounds in the small car.

"Mmm… I could get used to being free," Cheryl hummed with a smirk, the vibrations sending shock waves to Toni's core.

"So could I," Toni breathed back.

"Want to go to Pop's? All of this boss-ass-bitching has made me hungry."

"Ditto, let's go."

Toni pulled out of the driveway, and right on time too, as it appeared that the other guests were just now leaving Thornhill. Part of Toni wanted them to see her and Cheryl together, wanted them to know how happy the redhead would be without their toxic family and business in her life, but she also knew they weren't worth it anyway.

"Hey, want to call some people and see if they want to meet us there?" Toni asked. "Sweets and Fangs have been dying to hang out with you again ever since that night at the Wyrm, and Betty too."

"They… really said that?" Cheryl asked humbly.

"Cher, Sweet Pea called you cool. That's a damn badge of honor. Of course they want to hang out with you. Here, use my phone."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Toni was crammed in a booth at Pop's with her favorite people in the whole world, and she couldn't stop smiling. She would join in the conversation every now and then, but mostly she was content to watch her friends being the amazing people they were; Sweet Pea kneeling in faux worship to Cheryl for standing up to her mom, Fangs loudly singing a truly awful rendition of "Run the World (Girls)," Betty doing a very animated but very accurate imitation of Jughead trying to talk with his mouth full. It warmed her heart that she had so many people who cared about her, and even more so that they all extended their love toward Cheryl. Toni had never seen Cheryl so happy.

"Hey, guys, so there's supposed to be this crazy Halloween party at Veronica Lodge's apartment next Friday," Betty said. "She told me I can invite whoever I want, so, sadly, I guess that means you guys."

"Sadly? I'm the life of the party, especially on Halloween!" Sweet Pea exclaimed. "Now I have to figure out a costume though…"

"Oh, so you're telling me you're not already dressed up as Ponyboy from _The Outsiders_?" Cheryl asked him mockingly.

"Um, if anyone, I'm Darry. Ponyboy is a little bitch," Sweet Pea stated matter-of-factly. "Anyway, I'm thinking of going as Captain Jack Sparrow. Thoughts?"

"How original." Fangs' voice dripped with sarcasm as he rolled his eyes.

"Okay, fair, but I can actually do the voice." Sweet Pea adopted his best impression of Johnny Depp's slurring drawl, which was actually pretty good. "But you _have_ heard of me…"

He did a little bow to acknowledge the smattering of applause from Betty and Cheryl.

"What are you going to dress up as, Toni?"

The pink-haired Serpent didn't hear Betty's question, instead focused on the cavalry of souped-up sports cars that had just pulled up into the parking lot of Pop's.

"Uh, guys… I think we might have a situation on our hands."

"What kind of situation?" Fangs asked hesitantly.

Toni's suspicions were confirmed when she saw the curly hair of Malachai that always seemed to almost drip with grease as he stepped out of his Jaguar. "Ghoulies."

"Oh shit," Sweet Pea said quietly, his boisterous attitude immediately stifled.

"We better go out there before they think they can come in here." Toni started to slide out of the booth, forcing Sweet Pea and Fangs to do the same. "It'll be a cold day in hell before those freaks bust up this place."

"Would someone please tell me what the fuck a Ghoulie is?" Betty looked incredulous, like some sort of elaborate joke was being played on her.

"They're thugs. They go around stealing cars, harassing people, selling drugs, you name it. Basically, all the bad stuff people say about the Serpents is the stuff they actually do." Toni was already storming out of Pop's, hand on her pocket where she kept her trusty switchblade. "And they kinda hate us, so this might get ugly."

"Toni!"

The Serpent turned around to see Cheryl standing next to the booth.

"Are you… going to fight them?"

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"But if it does…?"

"Cher, I'll be fine. Thanks."

Toni walked out of Pop's and stood shoulder to shoulder with Sweet Pea and Fangs, as well as another Serpent whose dinner had been interrupted as well. Together they glared at Malachai and his goons as they waltzed up to the diner, swinging their baseball bats threateningly.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Night's Watch, standing their stalwart guard against the forces of evil." Sometime Toni wasn't sure if Malachai was right in the head; he always seemed to think he was in a TV show or something, and as such acted almost cartoonishly evil. Which made him annoying as well as dangerous.

"The fuck do you want, Malachai?" Sweet Pea growled. "Since when is Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe a Ghoulies stomping ground?"

"It isn't… at least, not yet. We were bored and decided to go get some food. Are you going to deny us that?"

"If you guys were really just here to buy food, you wouldn't need those." Toni gestured to the baseball bats. "I don't know how stupid you think we are. How about you stop bullshitting around and tell us why you're really here?"

Malachai let out an obnoxious wolf whistle and bounced his eyebrows at Toni. "Woohoo boys, it's looks like Ms. Topaz is feeling feisty tonight. Care to… expend that energy with ol' Mally?" He grabbed at his crotch, sharing a repulsive laugh with his cronies.

Toni could feel Sweet Pea and Fangs fuming, but she put her arms out before they ran out to defend their friend. "Maybe, Malachai, maybe. But you have to tell us what you're doing here first."

"Toni!" Fangs hissed incredulously. "The hell are you doing."

"Trust me," she whispered back, before cautiously stepping toward the group of Ghoulies. "Is someone paying you? Is business a little slow because your supplier croaked? Tell me, Malachai, I'm fascinated." Toni stared straight into his eyes, not breaking eye contact as she continued forward. The Ghoulie's eyes widened; he obviously didn't expect this turn of events. "Because let me just say, you greasy piece of shit, that there had better be a good fucking reason for you and your goons being here."

Malachai tried and failed to hide a nervous gulp. "And why is that? Why should I tell you anything?"

Toni grabbed her chin in a mocking imitation of deep thought. "Hmm… actually, you're right. I really don't want to hear your voice anymore than I already have." And with that, not looking away from Malachai, she brought her foot up and kicked him in the balls as hard as she could.

The Ghoulie howled and dropped to his knees, and Toni delivered another swift kick to his head. Fangs, Sweet Pea, and the other Serpent had already ran to join her before the other Ghoulies could even react, getting the jump on them despite being outnumbered. With Malachai down, it wasn't long before the remaining Ghoulies hopped in their cars and peeled away, leaving their leader and two others lying unconscious on the ground.

Being a Serpent, it wasn't Toni's first fight, so she was used to getting a little beat up, but she'd hoped to escape this one unscathed despite her brash instigation. But she'd failed to dodge a baseball bat to her left shoulder and caught a pretty hard punch to her ribs, both of which were sure to leave hideous bruises. Her friends seemed to be fine, save for a few split lips.

"Toni," Fangs huffed, hands on his knees, "what the fuck was that? I mean, it was badass, but are you trying to get us killed?"

"I'm all for avoiding the Ghoulies, but when they try to come to Pop's, that's crossing a line," Toni responded firmly, wincing as she tested her ribs. They weren't broken, but they'd definitely be a pain in the ass for the next week or two. "I wanted to make sure this wouldn't happen again."

Leaving the unconscious Ghoulies behind them, the Serpents walked back into Pop's, bickering about whether this would cause the rival gang to back off or just instigate them further. The argument was stopped by Pop Tate, who'd stepped out from behind the counter.

"Thank you, kids, for defending my diner. I've called Sheriff Keller to come take care of those thugs out in the parking lot, but you'd better get out of here before then, because who knows what kind of trouble you'll get into. I won't forget your kindness." Pop gave them one of his heart-melting smile. "Your dinners are on the house tonight."

"Aw, Pop, no way—"

"I insist," Pop said, politely but firmly cutting Sweet Pea off before he could refuse. "Now really, get out of here. I don't want you kids getting arrested."

"Thanks, Pop," Toni said sheepishly, before looking over to the table where her friends had been sitting. Betty and Cheryl were still there, the former sporting an amused expression, while the latter looked horrified.

 _Oh shit_. Toni had been so caught up in fighting off the Ghoulies that she hadn't even thought about how Cheryl would react. Toni had never let her membership in the Serpents define her, not wanting to become like the older members who spent all of their time at the Wyrm, but it was still a huge part of her life, and if it scared Cheryl…

Her thoughts were racing at a mile a minute as she said goodbye to Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Betty, the latter making sure that she was okay before driving off. Then it was just her and Cheryl. The redhead still hadn't said a word now that they were in Toni's car, and it was killing the pink-haired girl. "Cheryl, I'm sorry if I scared you or something, I really… I just—"

"Cha-Cha."

Toni stopped her rambling and looked at Cheryl. The redhead's eyes were almost entirely black, her lips parted as she breathed heavily. The sight made Toni's heart stop.

"What is it, Bombshell?"

"That… was the hottest thing I've ever seen."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Is**

"Cher, I swear I'm fine. That was nothing compared to some of the rumbles I've been in. Seriously, I—" Toni's insistence was abruptly cut off when Cheryl lightly pressed her hand against Toni's injured ribs, making her grit her teeth and hiss in pain. "Hey, no fair!"

"Nice try, T.T., but I know bruised ribs when I see them. You need to get those patched up. Thistlehouse happens to have a quite comprehensive first aid kit."

"It's okay, Cheryl—"

"Toni, you take care of me, and, from what I've seen, everyone else, pretty much 24/7. Can you let someone else be the caregiver for once in your selfless life?"

Toni sighed, knowing she couldn't argue her way out of this one. Besides, she'd never seen Cheryl's house before, and now that she lived away from her mother with Nana Rose it seemed as good a time as any.

"You're right, Cher, you're right. Which way to Thistlehouse?"

The redhead smiled slyly to herself, causing Toni to roll her eyes. "Take a right up here, Cha-Cha. And not too fast."

By the time Toni's Civic pulled into the driveway of Thistlehouse, the last glints of sunlight that had kissed the darkening sky over Pop's had all but disappeared. The only source of illumination as the girls walked up to the entranceway was the warm yellow lights shining from the house's many windows. As Toni's eyes scanned over Cheryl's new home, she thought that Thistlehouse, while still much larger than any house Toni had or would ever live in, already looked much more inviting than the stern, cold, angular architecture of Thornhill. Considering who was waiting for them inside—or, rather, who wasn't—Toni figured that its interior would match.

"Nana Rose is probably asleep," Cheryl warned as she turned to Toni once they'd stepped into the entryway. "After all she's done for me, it's the least we can do to not wake her up from her beauty sleep."

"I'll try, Cher, but I should warn you… I'm a bit of a screamer." The flirty comment was accompanied by a silly grin, letting Cheryl know it was meant as a joke, despite it being somewhat true. While Toni knew that things between them were probably moving a bit faster than the "take it slow" mandate she'd imposed, she didn't want to make any assumptions about what Cheryl was ready, or not ready, for. Because to be honest, they—

"I could make you scream," Cheryl whispered back, abruptly cutting off Toni's whirling thoughts with her unexpected response. There was none of the goofiness that Toni had shown; instead, Cheryl's eyes were dark and intently focused on Toni's. The shorter girl's breath caught and she felt the air around her heat up, time seeming to simultaneously stop and speed up as they gazed at each other. But Toni's attempt to lean in for a kiss was foiled by her ribs, which protested the moment with a stabbing pain through her torso.

"Ow! Fuck!" She instinctively moved her hands to clutch the injured area protectively, which only made the pain worse.

"Oh, T.T., I'm sorry! Let me go grab some ice and the first aid kit. Go lie down on the couch in there," Cheryl said, gesturing toward a cozy looking leather couch in front of the fire before rushing off toward the kitchen. Toni grimaced; she knew better than anyone that being taken care of made her uncomfortable. All her life, even with her uncle as a loving guardian, she'd never been able to deal with feeling vulnerable. But Cheryl didn't seem to be taking no for an answer, and if there was anyone to whom Toni could learn to show weakness, it was her.

Toni slowly laid down on the couch, wincing as hot knives pierced her once more. She gingerly pressed each rib in the area where she'd been hit, looking for any that hurt much more than the others, which could mean they were broken. Luckily, that didn't seem to be the case. Toni sighed with relief; she didn't think she could deal with even one broken rib right now. Bruised ribs? Those she was used to. Those she could handle.

The pink-haired girl looked up and smiled as Cheryl came into the room holding a bag of ice and a small white box. "Comfortable?" the redhead asked brightly, pulling up a chair so that she could sit beside Toni while the other girl laid on the couch.

"As much as I can be," Toni replied with a grimace. "I don't think any of them are broken, which is good. But they sure do still hurt like a bitch."

"Is it okay if I…" Cheryl trailed off, motioning toward Toni's torso, trying and failing to hide her gulp. The redhead busied herself with getting some alcohol swabs out of the box. "Sorry, that was a dumb question, I can just…"

"Cher, it's okay." Toni gave her a soft smile and raised herself slightly off the bed, trying to ignore the pain as she rolled up her black top. The Serpent wrinkled her nose at the skin reddened by the abrasion, and the first signs of mottled yellowing that was sure to become a quite ugly patch of bruising.

Cheryl gasped, her hand instinctively reaching out to Toni's abdomen but stopping before it actually touched. "Oh my God, Toni…"

"I've had worse." Toni chuckled darkly, remembering the many ugly injuries she'd suffered since joining the Serpents almost three years ago. In fact, Toni's last encounter with Malachai and his Ghoulies had left her with a few broken fingers and a concussion.

"Well if it's worse than this, I don't want to know," Cheryl sing-songed as she began gently cleaning the area with the alcohol, grimacing at Toni's curses when the chemical seeped into the small scrapes and cuts on her skin. "Do you… like being in the Serpents?" The redhead looked scared as she glanced up at Toni, whose face wore a quizzical expression. "I'm sorry if that's too deep of a question."

"No, no, not at all, I just wasn't expecting it. It's a fair thing to ask." Toni smiled inwardly at the fact that she seemed to be the only person who made Cheryl Blossom second guess herself. "All everyone else sees or hears about is the fights, crimes, things like that. We don't exactly have a great reputation in this town because we mainly make headlines when something bad happens. But the Serpents are my family. We have a law that we say at the end of every meeting: 'No Serpent stands alone.' I don't know what I would do without all of them having my back."

"You're right; I didn't even know that," Cheryl admitted. Finished with the cleaning, she gently dried Toni's skin with a paper towel before wrapping the bag of ice in a towel and pressing it down. "All my life I've thought that the family you're born with is the one you're stuck with. But part of me was hoping against hope that wasn't the case."

"Well I can say definitively that it's not. Have you ever thought about joining the Serpents? Now that you're out of the spider queen's web I wouldn't blame you for feeling a little vulnerable. The best part of being a Serpent is knowing that you're always protected."

"To be honest, Cha-Cha, I haven't. You were the first one I met after sixteen-plus years of it being drilled into my head that they were all drug-dealers, murderers, criminals. And even if I wanted to, I doubt they'd be very happy to count a Blossom heir amongst their ranks."

"First of all, everyone who's met you has loved you. Sweet Pea, Fangs, none of them can stop talking about you. Even Hogeye. The thought of hating you because of your last name didn't even enter his mind. He was too busy teasing me." Toni took the bag of ice in her own right hand and grasped Cheryl's with her left. "In the Serpents, who you are or where you come from doesn't matter. We will accept you and fight for you to our last breath, as long as you're willing to do the same for us."

"I'll admit, I didn't expect our entire courtship to be some sort of elaborate recruitment mission." Cheryl giggled. "But seriously, thank you Toni. I will definitely think about it. If not for me, then for Nana Rose. I worry about her all the time."

"Cher, is it okay if I… stay here tonight? Getting up and driving all the way home sounds like the worst thing ever right now. I can just sleep here if you want, or…"

"Nonsense. Of course you can stay, and of course I will be carrying you up to my bed. There's absolutely no way my Serpent in shining scales will be relegated to the couch."

"Cheryl, that's ridiculous. There's no way I'm letting you carry me all the way to your room."

"You've figuratively carried me ever since that day you comforted me in the bathroom. It's the least I can do to actually carry you up one flight of stairs."

Toni felt a bittersweet smile spread across her face at the memory of that day. "Okay. Thanks, Cheryl. You're the best."

"I'm well aware of that, T.T." Cheryl stood up and put her hands on her hips. "I, for one, am not the least bit tired. Do you want to hang out in here for a while and watch TV or something?"

"That sounds lovely."

"Well, here's the remote. I'm going to go make us some tea."

* * *

It was around midnight when Toni noticed Cheryl starting to nod off. The Serpent was still lying on the couch, having gone through three bags of ice due to the heat radiating from her body from Cheryl's close proximity. The redhead was sitting on the rug so that her head rested right below Toni's, allowing the shorter girl to run her hands through that glorious hair that she could never get enough of. Toni cursed her ribs for preventing Cheryl from cuddling with her on the couch; but she also knew it was probably for the best, judging from how quickly things heated up between them.

But Cheryl showed no signs of timidity in regards to that. Toni had no idea how much experience the redhead had, and just wanted to make sure she was comfortable with everything they did. Even if all Toni wanted to do was throw Cheryl down on her bed and make her scream her name.

"Cheryl, hey, let's go to bed," she said softly.

"I'm awake!" Cheryl's head shot up as she proclaimed her consciousness.

"First of all, no you weren't," Toni replied, laughing, "and second, shhh! Nana Rose is asleep, remember?"

"Oh, right." Cheryl rubbed her eyes and stood up. "Alright, let's do this."

"Cheryl, I can walk up the damn steps. You are _not_ carrying me."

"Either I carry you, or you stay right here. I don't want your ribs to get worse, T.T."

"Fine. But if it's too hard for you just put me down, okay? Walking would be much less painful than getting dropped onto my back."

"I'm so grateful for your unwavering confidence in me." Cheryl slid her arms underneath Toni's shoulders and knees, the shorter girl shivering at the contact. "Let me know if I'm hurting you, okay?"

Toni nodded. Cheryl picked her up with surprising ease and walked toward the stairs. "Damn, Bombshell, I'll admit, I thought it was going to be a lot harder for you than this."

"Between archery and being the flawless captain of the Vixens, I'm quite a bit stronger than I appear." Cheryl smiled but didn't look at Toni, instead focusing on not tripping over the dark wooden steps. "Not to mention years of sneaking out of that gigantic mausoleum my mother calls a home."

"No way. You actually climbed around on that thing?" Toni said in amazement, before wincing as Cheryl stepped down a little too hard.

"Ooh, sorry about that Cha-Cha. And yes, I did. Nearly died a few times, but it was worth it to go actually spend time with other children. Something my mother and I didn't exactly see eye to eye on."

"Seems like there's no shortage of that."

"You have no idea." They'd finally reached Cheryl's room. Cheryl pivoted so that Toni could reach out and open the door, before she was gently set down on the massive four-poster bed.

"Holy _shit_ , Cheryl, this bed is amazing," Toni remarked, spreading her arms out over the silk sheets and red satin comforter. "You have this all to yourself?"

Cheryl looked at her with a furrowed brow. "Who else would I share it with?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant. It's just… damn. My uncle Thomas and I used to have to share a bed in one of his buddy's trailer before he got a job, and even that wasn't as big as this one."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that, T.T. It must have been hard."

"It was, but it's all in the past now. Thanks."

"But now that you mention it, it always feels like there's something missing. It's sort of depressing to reach out in the middle of the night and only feeling the cold, untouched other side of the bed."

"Well, I'd be happy to keep you company whenever you'd like," Toni said, bouncing her eyebrows up and down and making Cheryl laugh.

"I'll keep that in mind." The redhead seemed nervous; she was just walking around her room, adjusting things that didn't really need to be adjusted. Finally, she walked over to a stack of blankets in the corner and began to lay them out on the floor.

"Cheryl, what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm sleeping on the floor, T.T. Do you think I'd make you crash down here like some busker while I sleep in my bed?"

"Cher…" Toni gulped, before quickly deciding to press on with her request. "You can sleep up here. With me. If you want."

Cheryl looked at her with wide eyes. "Really?"

Toni rolled her own. "Either you're way more of a ditz than I thought, or this was all just an elaborate ploy to get me to ask you to come into bed with me. Whichever one of those is true, my answer's the same. Get up here."

Cheryl smiled the cutest smile Toni had ever seen and clambered up onto the mattress. "I just didn't want to assume, T.T."

"Rule of thumb: anytime something involves you being closer to me, I'm okay with it." They shifted so that they were facing each other with their heads on the pillow, Toni lying on her good side.

"Toni, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Cher."

"What's it like… you know… being with another woman?"

Toni raised her eyebrows. "May I ask where this is coming from?"

Cheryl looked down at her hands before Toni gently tilted her head back up so they were facing each other once more. "Cheryl, you can tell me anything, seriously. No judgment."

"Well, I just think that… I should say… I've never had sex before. With anyone. But… I want to. With you."

Toni's cheeks blazed, but not as much as Cheryl's. She shifted her legs to try and relieve some of the tension that was accumulating down below. "Well, Cheryl, don't worry, because I want to have sex with you too."

"Really?"

Toni rolled her eyes once more. "Jesus Christ Cher, _yes._ I am so attracted to you I can barely breathe. But I want you to feel ready, okay? It's not a big deal at all that you've never been with anyone before, so you shouldn't feel that way, or think that you're putting any pressure on me."

"Well thank you for saying that, because that's exactly how I felt. And… I am ready. I think."

Toni gently put her hand on the side of Cheryl's face. "Everyone's gotta have a first time, right? No point being scared of it. I'm not going to lie, this conversation is turning me on a whole hell of a lot, and I would totally jump your bones right now if not for… well, you know." She gestured to her injured side.

"Ugh, I can't _believe_ you, T.T. Always thinking about yourself." Cheryl grinned. "Thank you. Waiting is fine with me."

"Seriously, don't stress about it Cher. It'll happen when it happens. I swear by that; anytime I've tried to plan things out too much it hasn't worked out too well."

"Yep, I've seen _Jane the Virgin_." Cheryl giggled. "Do you need anything before we go to sleep?"

"Just one thing." Toni pulled Cheryl's head towards hers, their lips meeting in a kiss that quickly grew in intensity, before Toni was pulled back to reality by the stabbing pain in her side. "Fuck, that's going to be annoying."

"I want you to heal, so no more fights, okay? Tonight was hot as hell but it also really scared me."

Toni grinned. "Deal. And just because we've had this talk now doesn't mean you should stop being sexy as hell all the time."

"Don't you worry about that, T.T. My costume for Veronica's Halloween party will make you _melt_."

Toni smiled as Cheryl jumped up from the bed and pranced into her bathroom, the delicious tingle of the redhead's lips still crackling on hers.


End file.
